The official Kremlin spokesperson and the Russian Security Council secretary repeated a series of long-standing Russian demands that purposely preclude the establishment of a stable and enduring peace in Ukraine and set conditions for future Russian aggression from an advantaged position. Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed in an interview with French news magazine Le Point published on April 23 that Russia’s war goals have not changed since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and that Russia will achieve these goals “peacefully or militarily.”[1] Peskov claimed that Russia would restart the war should “people…question the legitimacy” of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and stated that Russia has “no confidence” in the Ukrainian government. Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu claimed in an interview to Kremlin newswire TASS published on April 24 that the Kremlin is “ready for a ceasefire, a truce, and peace talks” but only if these measures take Russia’s interests into account and eliminate the “initial causes” of the war.[2] Peskov defined Russia’s unchanged war aims as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demands for regime change in Ukraine, the demilitarization of the Ukrainian military, and Ukraine’s neutrality and Putin’s claims that Ukraine cede all of Russia’s illegally annexed territory in Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson oblasts to Russia.[3] US President Donald Trump’s reported recent seven-point proposal to end the war would notably not fulfill all of Putin’s demands.[4] Shoigu’s claims about the “initial causes” of the war parallel Kremlin officials’ consistent demand that any future peace settlement eliminate the “root causes” of the war, which Kremlin officials have claimed are NATO’s alleged violation of obligations not to expand eastward and the Ukrainian government’s alleged discrimination against ethnic Russians and the Russian language, media, and culture in Ukraine.[5]
Peskov and Shoigu continued to place conditions on Russia’s agreement to Trump’s proposed full ceasefire that would further Putin’s goal of weakening the Ukrainian military, likely to prepare for future Russian aggression. Peskov claimed that Putin supports the idea of a full ceasefire but reiterated Putin’s demand that European countries stop providing Ukraine with arms as a condition to Russia’s agreement.[6] Shoigu similarly claimed that a ceasefire is possible as long as it does not allow Ukrainian forces to rest and regroup.[7] Peskov and Shoigu explicitly rejected the stipulation in Trump’s reported proposal to end the war that would give Ukraine “a robust security guarantee” provided by a group of European states and possibly non-European states.[8] Shoigu claimed that European peacekeepers in Ukraine could lead to a direct clash between NATO and Russia, and Peskov claimed that Russia is against the idea of European peacekeepers in Ukraine because Ukrainian authorities “do not completely control” the Ukrainian military.[9] Peskov’s false allegations about Zelensky’s lack of legitimacy and the Ukrainian government’s inability to control the country’s military directly mirror Putin’s long-standing narratives along these same lines.[10] These Kremlin narratives are part of efforts to set conditions for Russia to claim that any future peace settlement Russia signs with Zelensky is illegitimate, to renege on the agreement, and to relaunch its invasion – as Peskov explicitly stated Russia would do.
Peskov and Shoigu notably gave these interviews, containing similar narratives and talking points, to a Russian and French outlet – suggesting that the Kremlin is coordinating its messaging about Russia’s commitment to achieving all of its war aims now and in the future to both international audiences in Europe and at home in Russia.
Kremlin officials continue to baselessly threaten NATO states for adhering to US President Donald Trump’s objective that Europe take on more of its own defense requirements. Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu claimed in an interview to Kremlin newswire TASS published on April 24 that Europe is preparing for a potential military conflict with Russia in three to five years.[11] Shoigu claimed that European states are building up their military presence near the western borders of the Union State of Russia and Belarus and are “not showing any readiness to deescalate the situation.” Shoigu claimed that the European Union (EU) is trying to transform the EU into a “military organization aimed against Russia” and criticized the EU’s efforts to develop Europe’s defense industrial base (DIB). Shoigu claimed that the number of NATO military contingents deployed near Russia’s western borders has increased by 2.5 times in the past year. Shoigu claimed that the number of military threats against Russia is growing, particularly as the Baltic states are building military bases on their own territory, Poland is purchasing armored vehicles, and various NATO states are modernizing their air defenses and purchasing American fighter jets. Shoigu complained that Poland, Lithuania, and Estonia are increasing their annual defense spending due to an “imaginary threat from the east.” Shoigu claimed that the alleged threats to the security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Russia’s “closest ally” Belarus remain in place and that Russia deployed Oreshnik ballistic missiles to Belarus due to these threats. Shoigu recalled that Russia’s November 2024 amendments to its nuclear doctrine allows Russia to use nuclear weapons in the event of aggression against Russia or Belarus, including aggression with the use of conventional weapons. US President Donald Trump has persistently asked European states and NATO members to increase their defense spending.[12] Lavrov’s and Peskov’s excoriation of European states increasing investments in their defense – as Trump has requested – is a further indicator that Moscow’s demands concerning Europe’s future security architecture are incompatible with Trump’s objectives for a strong and self-reliant Europe that contributes more equally to Europe’s collective security.
Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed in an interview with French news magazine Le Point published on April 23 that Russia does not intend to attack anyone and that Russia did not and does not have any problems with new NATO members Finland and Sweden.[13] Peskov claimed that Finland is “little by little” building military infrastructure on its territory. Putin alleged that Russia is reacting to such moves by “taking steps to ensure its security” but “has no potential for conflict…neither in the Baltic countries nor in Finland.” Peskov claimed that Russia has no territorial claims in the Baltic states, but Peskov claimed that Baltic authorities are discriminating against Russian citizens living there. Peskov proceeded to claim that Russia launched its first invasion of Ukraine in 2014 because Ukrainian authorities were allegedly trying to “exterminate” Russians in the country.
Russian forces conducted a large series of drone and missile strikes against Ukraine overnight on April 23 to 24, the largest strike series against Kyiv City thus far in 2025. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian forces launched 215 drones and missiles at Ukraine, including 11 Iskander-M ballistic missiles from Bryansk, Voronezh, and Kursk oblasts; 37 Kh-101 cruise missiles from airspace over Saratov Oblast; six Iskander-K cruise missiles from occupied Donetsk Oblast; 12 Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea; four Kh-59/Kh-69 cruise missiles from airspace over Belgorod Oblast; and 145 Shahed and decoy drones from Bryansk and Kursk oblasts; Millerovo, Rostov Oblast: Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Krasnodar Krai; and occupied Cape Chauda, Crimea.[19] The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Ukrainian forces shot down 7 Iskander-M missiles, 31 Kh-101 missiles, 6 Kalibr missiles, 4 Kh-59/Kh-69 missiles, and 64 Shahed drones, and that 68 decoy drones were “lost,” likely due to Ukrainian electronic warfare (EW) interference. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian officials reported that Russia’s strike series injured at least 80 Ukrainians and killed 9 people in Kyiv City alone, and damaged residential areas, energy infrastructure, and other buildings in five raions of the city.[20] Ukrainian officials stated that Russian strikes also damaged civilian, industrial, rail, and energy infrastructure in Zaporizhzhia City, and Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, and Sumy oblasts.[21]
Russian forces have adjusted their long-range strike tactics and weapons in recent weeks, likely to mitigate Ukrainian air defenses and inflict significant damage even when Ukrainian forces intercept some Russian drones and missiles.[22] Such adaptations disproportionately affect civilians, as ISW has previously noted.[23] US President Donald Trump stated in a post on Truth Social on April 24 that he is “not happy” with Russia’s overnight strikes against Kyiv City, calling them “not necessary” and stating that Russia has “very bad timing.”[24] Trump called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop such strikes and agree to his proposal to end the war.
Key Takeaways:
- The official Kremlin spokesperson and the Russian Security Council secretary repeated a series of long-standing Russian demands that purposely preclude the establishment of a stable and enduring peace in Ukraine and set conditions for future Russian aggression from an advantaged position.
- Kremlin officials continue to baselessly threaten NATO states for adhering to US President Donald Trump’s objective that Europe take on more of its own defense requirements.
- Russian forces conducted a large series of drone and missile strikes against Ukraine overnight on April 23 to 24, the largest strike series against Kyiv City thus far in 2025.
- Denmark announced a new military aid package to Ukraine for artillery ammunition procurement on April 23.
- A Russian military court sentenced former 58th Combined Arms Army (CAA) Commander Major General Ivan Popov to imprisonment, likely as part of an ongoing Kremlin effort to punish Russian military commanders who weaponized the information space to advance their political goals that undermine Putin’s power vertical.
- Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Toretsk. Russian forces recently advanced in Belgorod and Sumy oblasts and near Toretsk.