The official reiterated that "a comprehensive, sustainable, and fair settlement of the Ukraine conflict depends to a large extent on the elimination of its root causes."
"The West should stop pumping arms into the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and Kiev should stop fighting and withdraw its troops from Russian territory," Galuzin stressed.
According to the top diplomat, "Ukraine's neutral, non-aligned, and nuclear-free status should be confirmed and its demilitarization and denazification should be carried out. New territorial realities should be recognized, and the rights of Russian-speaking citizens and national minorities living in this country should be ensured."
"Unfortunately, today we see no political will for peace either in Kiev or in the West," the deputy foreign minister said, recalling Zelensky's decree banning negotiations with Russia.
"The Kiev regime rejects peace mediation initiatives presented by various countries over the past months," the official emphasized.
Meanwhile, he noted that "the so-called 'peace formula' proposed by the Ukrainian president last November and presented by him and his Western partners as almost a final settlement plan in fact has nothing to do with peace, but is a set of ultimatums to Russia justifying the continuation of hostilities."
"Kiev still thinks like a warmonger and intends to continue the conflict 'until the victorious end,' which obviously means 'war to the last Ukrainian,'" Galuzin said.
"Washington and its NATO subordinates eagerly support Kiev on this, satisfying the growing military appetites of Volodymyr Zelensky's regime. All of this only delays the conflict settlement," he added.
The top diplomat stressed that Russia has never refused to negotiate with Ukraine and has always advocated for a political solution to the conflict.
"But so far we've had no other choice but to carry out the special military operation until the full implementation of all the set goals," the Russian deputy foreign minister concluded.