President-elect Donald Trump has criticized US President Joe Biden's decision to allow Ukraine to use long-range US missiles against targets deep inside Russian territory, describing the decision as foolish and a major escalation of the conflict, while the Kremlin welcomed the statements, explaining that the position is completely in line with Moscow's position and its vision of the reasons for the escalation.

“The latest statement is fully consistent with our position and his (Trump’s) vision of the reasons behind the escalation is also consistent with our vision… Trump clearly understands what is causing the escalation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during a briefing, adding that the conditions for negotiations on Ukraine were not yet in place. “We do not want a ceasefire, we want peace when our conditions are met and our goals are achieved,” he said.

“Anything can happen,” Trump said in an interview with Time magazine published Thursday. “It’s a very volatile situation, and I think the most dangerous thing right now is what’s happening, where Zelensky has decided, with the approval of the president, I think, to start shooting missiles at Russia. I think that’s a major escalation. I think it’s a foolish decision.”

“I strongly disagree with sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia. Why would we do that? We’re just escalating and making the war worse. That shouldn’t have been allowed,” Trump said in the interview, hinting at the broad outlines of his policies when he takes office to make efforts to end the war. “I imagine people are waiting for me to come in before anything happens. I imagine. I think it would be a very smart thing to do.”

In another interview with NBC, when asked if Ukraine should prepare for a cut in U.S. aid after his inauguration, Trump said, “Maybe, yeah, definitely.”

But Trump stressed at the same time that he would not abandon Ukraine and that he intended to use American support for Kiev as a pressure factor to reach an agreement to end the war, saying: “I want to reach an agreement, and the only way to reach an agreement is to not stop supporting it.”

Meanwhile, Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said in an interview broadcast late Thursday that Kyiv is not yet ready to start talks with Russia because it is not in the position it wants in terms of weapons and security guarantees.

“Not today,” he said when asked if Ukraine was ready to enter into talks. “We don’t have the weapons, we don’t have the situation we’re talking about, and that means an invitation to NATO, an understanding of clear guarantees… so that we can be sure that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin won’t be back in two or three years.”

Last November, President Biden gave the green light to Ukraine to use ATACMS missile systems to strike deep inside Russia. Moscow sharply criticized this decision, considering it a direct US involvement in the conflict and a harbinger of further escalation.

Ukraine has already fired these missiles at military targets in Kursk and deep inside Russian territory, and Moscow responded by firing the Oreshnik hypersonic missile at the city of Dnipro in eastern Ukraine.

Asked about Trump’s comments, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Thursday that he did not want to “get into an argument” with the president-elect’s camp on the issue. “President Biden’s policy has been to do everything we can to ensure that Ukraine can defend itself, so that President Zelenskyy finds himself in the best possible circumstances when we get to negotiations,” he said.

Experts say any effort to end the war will face strong headwinds, and that current conditions on the ground are not conducive to reaching a deal, especially from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has shown no inclination to end a war he feels he is winning. If Trump threatens to cut off U.S. aid to Ukraine, it will embolden Putin to continue the fight, not end the Russian invasion.

“Russia is ready to consider Trump’s proposals to end the war, but that does not mean agreement,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Lyapkov was quoted as saying by the state-run RIA Novosti news agency. For Ukraine, a ceasefire along the current front lines would also be a painful step, as it would have to cede control of 20 percent of the country, areas already controlled by Russia.

• $500 million military package

The US State Department announced a new $500 million military aid package to Ukraine on Thursday to bolster the country’s defenses against Russia’s ongoing offensive, about a month before President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated. The new package includes anti-drone systems, munitions for HIMARS rocket launchers, and armored vehicles. “The United States and more than 50 nations are united to ensure that Ukraine has the capabilities to defend itself against Russian aggression,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

This is the third military aid package announced by Washington this December, after the one announced on Saturday, valued at $988 million, and the one announced on the second of this month, valued at $725 million.

The equipment announced Thursday to be sent to Kyiv includes ammunition for HIMARS rocket launcher systems, artillery shells, drones, military vehicles, and equipment to protect against chemical, radiological and nuclear attacks, according to the US State Department.

"We will continue to provide additional equipment through the end of Joe Biden's term," White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday.