New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS): Moscow is willing to negotiate terms of surrender with Kiev regarding the Russian military offensive currently underway in Ukraine, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday, RT reported.

According to Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his preparedness to engage in discussions with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with a focus on obtaining a guarantee of neutral status and the promise of no weapons on its territory, the report said.

These are terms that, according to Peskov, would enable the achievement of 'demilitarisation' and 'denazification' of Ukraine, and eliminate what Russia currently views as a threat to the security of its state and people.

"The President formulated his vision of what we would expect from Ukraine in order for the so-called ‘red-line' problems to be resolved. This is neutral status, and this is a refusal to deploy weapons," Peskov clarified.

The Press Secretary added that Putin would determine the timing of the negotiations, but gave assurances that Russia would only engage "if the leadership of Ukraine is ready to talk about it", RT reported.

"The operation has its goals -- they must be achieved. The President said that all decisions have been made, and the goals will be achieved," Peskov continued, suggesting that if Kiev agrees to meet the demands, the current military attack on Ukraine could be called off.

In the early hours of Thursday morning, Putin instigated a "special operation" in Ukraine, with the supposed aim of "securing peace" in the breakaway Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics in the Donbass region, RT reported.