UPDATE - Kremlin says Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia ‘acts of desperation’

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Kremlin on Monday said recent drone attacks on Russia, which it has blamed on Ukraine, are “acts of desperation" due to "failure" in its much-anticipated counteroffensive that began last month.

“Of course, the Kyiv regime resorts to such tactics ... terrorist strikes are aimed precisely at civilians, precisely at some social targets. This is disgusting and we will continue to fight against it," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a press briefing in Moscow.

Peskov said "everything possible is being done to minimize the risk of these strikes," claiming that Ukraine’s counteroffensive is not working as planned and it is in a “very difficult situation.”

"No, hardly," Peskov said in comments over question concerning Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's remarks that “the war is returning to the territory of Russia.”

"It is obvious that the multibillion-dollar resources that were transferred by NATO countries to the Kyiv regime are actually being spent ineffectively, aimlessly. This also causes big questions in the western capitals and great discomfort among the taxpayers of the western capitals," he added.

Russian forces intercepted three Ukrainian drones over Moscow on Sunday, the latest that Moscow blamed on Kyiv. The Defense Ministry called it an “attempted terrorist attack.”

"Gradually, the war is returning to the territory of Russia - to its symbolic centers and military bases, and this is an inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process," Zelenskyy had said in a video address after the attack.

- Russia to monitor Ukraine peace meeting in Saudi Arabia

On a forthcoming meeting between Kyiv and Riyadh, Peskov said Moscow will be monitoring the meeting and its outcome.

"Undoubtedly, Russia will keep an eye on this meeting. We'd have to fully understand what goals are being set and what the organizers actually plan to talk about. We have repeatedly said that any attempts to somehow contribute to a peaceful settlement deserve a positive assessment," he added.

The Russian official said it is not possible to reach a peace settlement due to Ukraine's current stance.

"President (Vladimir) Putin said this in particular. The Kyiv regime does not wish and cannot wish peace as long as it is used exclusively as a tool in the collective West’s war against Russia," he said.

On Sunday, Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office, announced that a meeting at the level of advisers will be held in the city of Jeddah.

Zelenskyy's peace formula, which consists of 10 conditions, were laid out at the latest G-20 summit in Indonesia, with its final step being which is signing a peace accord. It also focuses on issues such as nuclear safety, food and energy security.