Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced on Friday that peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are currently on a “deep pause” as Russian forces press their offensive in eastern Ukraine, The Moscow Times reported. “We’re pressing forward with the special military operation and our troops are making gains on the front lines,” Peskov told reporters. “As for peace talks, that topic is currently on a deep pause.”JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Peskov’s comments mark a departure from his remarks earlier this summer, when he confirmed that Moscow was maintaining dialogue with US negotiators. The public dismissal of diplomacy also follows recent international efforts to broker a resolution. Earlier on Friday, The New York Times reported that US CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow this week to push the Kremlin toward a peace deal. Separately, a senior Vatican diplomatic envoy met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov this week to call for peace. Peskov stated that the Russian military is “intentionally destroying the Kyiv regime’s military and military-adjacent infrastructure.” His remarks came a day after the chief of Russia’s General Staff claimed that Russian troops were inching closer to the heavily fortified city of Sloviansk in the Donetsk region. Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to demand that Ukraine cede full control of the Donetsk region as a prerequisite for any ceasefire agreement – a condition that Kyiv has repeatedly rejected.