Kremlin says Ukraine peace talks on ‘deep pause’

The Kremlin has slammed the brakes on peace talks to end Russia’s four-and-a-half-year war with Ukraine, declaring negotiations are on a “deep pause” just days after the CIA director secretly traveled to Moscow.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced on Friday that peace negotiations with Ukraine are on a “deep pause” as Russian forces press their offensive in the east. The statement dismisses recent diplomatic efforts, including a reported visit to Moscow by US CIA Director John Ratcliffe and a Vatican envoy. Peskov reiter

The New York Times reported that CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow this week to push the Kremlin towards a peace deal.

Putin won't end the war under economic pressure from sanctions and Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries and logistics networks, sources said.

Voices in Moscow calling for nuclear warheads are becoming louder, and the President is surveying his options for escalation, according to sources.