ISTANBUL

The Kremlin said it will not accept a ceasefire to facilitate a territorial referendum in Ukraine, viewing a pause in hostilities as a tactical ploy rather than a step toward resolution.

"If the idea is to create a pretext for demanding a ceasefire, a respite, a pause on the front, then naturally it won't work," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russia's Channel One in Turkmenistan.

Peskov asserted that Moscow is interested in a definitive end to the conflict rather than a temporary halt that could be used by Kyiv to regroup.

"We want to work for peace, not a ceasefire. A ceasefire is a respite, another deception, another delay, another brainwashing. We need peace," he emphasized.

The remarks followed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said the issue of any potential territorial arrangements under peace discussions must be decided by the Ukrainian people.

“I believe the people of Ukraine will answer this question – in the format of elections or in the format of a referendum – but there must be a position of the people of Ukraine,” he said.