MOSCOW: The Kremlin said on Monday that Ukraine was paying the price for its own attacks on Russia in recent months and would continue to do so as Moscow's forces systematically strike different targets there.
On Friday, Putin said Moscow had been ready to resume negotiations with Kyiv after September's parliamentary election in Russia, but complained about Ukraine launching a big attack on Moscow during the vote, about what he said was its targeting if polling stations, and about its drone attack on St Petersburg during a major economic forum there in June.
Responding to a question about how those Ukrainian strikes had affected Moscow's stance on peace negotiations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "Ukraine will have to pay a price for the actions that have taken place in recent months. This is what is happening now. Our armed forces are continuing the special military operation."
Putin said on Friday that all proposals to settle the 4-1/2-year-old conflict remained on the table, but that Moscow needed to assess what was in its own best interests.
