(Dan Tri) – The Kremlin once again affirmed that Ukraine needs to consider that the actual situation has changed significantly after Moscow launched a `special military operation`.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov (Photo: TASS).

`The geopolitical situation has changed significantly since Russia began the special military campaign. The borders of both Ukraine and Russia have changed,` Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on March 30.

He further noted that Russia has annexed four Ukrainian provinces, and that is a fact that `cannot be ignored.`

The above comment was made after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signaled in a media interview earlier this week that restoring the 1991 border is no longer a prerequisite for Ukraine to resume peace.

The Ukrainian leader said that Kiev needs to regain territory that has been controlled by Russia since Moscow launched a special military campaign in February 2022.

`We will not have to liberate all of our territory by military means… I am sure that when Russia loses what it has controlled since February 2022, it will completely lose confidence,`

According to RT news agency, Mr. Zelensky’s statement seems to signal that Ukraine no longer considers the restoration of 1991 borders a prerequisite for peace talks with Russia even as he continues to promote the peace formula.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the change in President Zelensky’s stance was due to his `worry`.

`He is worried. Is he about to have an election? Or no election,` Ms. Zakharova wrote on Telegram.

Ukraine’s presidential election was supposed to be held on March 31.

On March 29, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow may not recognize Mr. Zelensky as the legitimate leader of Ukraine after his term ends on May 21.

The Kremlin has repeatedly affirmed that Russia never refused to negotiate with Ukraine, but Kiev needs to accept the actual situation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also stated that if Ukraine wants to negotiate, they must first cancel the decree banning peace talks with his government.

At the end of 2022, Mr. Zelensky issued a decree banning negotiations with the government of his Russian counterpart Putin.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba suggested that Kiev could negotiate with Moscow after a peace conference organized by Switzerland (time has not yet been set).