MOSCOW 

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Friday welcomed as a "positive signal' Volodymyr Zelenskyy's statement about the need to intensify negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv.

Peskov said Moscow is advocating for stepping up the peace process.

"This is a positive signal. We absolutely agree. Indeed, we too advocate adding momentum to the negotiation process," Peskov said at a news conference in Moscow.

Asked about the deployment of foreign forces in Ukraine, he warned they would be "a legitimate target" for Russian forces.

"Any military facilities on the territory of Ukraine are a legitimate target for our military," he said.

Addressing reports claiming the EU approved one of the toughest ever packages of anti-Russian sanctions, Peskov said it was a continuation of the anti-Russian line.

"We have repeatedly said that we consider such unilateral restrictions illegal, and we oppose them," he said.

At the same time, Russia "certainly developed a certain immunity to sanctions," adapted to living under the restrictions, he added.

Commenting on remarks by Gen. Christopher Cavoli, commander of US Army Europe and Africa, regarding a potential seizure of Kaliningrad, Peskov said it represents “another statement in a series of such hostile aggressive statements that we often hear from representatives of the defense departments of European countries.”

Turning to statements by US President Donald Trump expressing disappointment with the Ukrainian settlement, Peskov said it holds "little significance for normalizing Moscow-Washington relations."

The Russian side maintains them as separate negotiation tracks, he said.

"These are different matters. One topic concerns the Ukrainian settlement, while another involves our bilateral relations, all irritants in bilateral ties and accumulated problematic issues, of which there are many," the official explained.

"A difficult process to bring our relations (between Russia and the US) out of a rather deplorable state is ongoing. The process itself is difficult and time-consuming," he said.

Commenting on suggestions by Russian lawmakers that WhatsApp "should prepare to exit the Russian market," Peskov said the platform has obligations under Russian law.

"WhatsApp is generally the most popular service in many countries, including Russia. In terms of popularity, it's the number one service. Like all services, it certainly has certain obligations under Russian legislation. All laws must be complied with," Peskov said.