Kremlin: Ukraine is paying the price for attacks on Russia

The Kremlin said on Monday that Ukraine was paying the price for its attacks on Russia in recent months and would continue to do so, as Moscow’s forces systematically strike various targets.

On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was ready to resume negotiations with Kyiv after Russia’s parliamentary elections in September, but complained about Ukraine launching a major attack on Moscow during the vote, targeting polling centers he said, and about its drone attack on St. Petersburg during a major economic forum there in June.

Asked how these Ukrainian attacks had affected Moscow’s stance toward peace negotiations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “Ukraine will have to pay a price for the actions that have taken place in recent months. That is what is happening now. Our armed forces are continuing the special military operation.”

Putin said on Friday that all proposals to resolve the four-and-a-half-year conflict remain on the table, but that Moscow must assess what is in its best interest.