Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov speaks to journalists in Moscow, Russia, December 23, 2021 (AP)

The Russian military operation in Ukraine is achieving the goals Moscow went in there for, and work is underway on the ground and at the negotiation table, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Friday.

Peskov had also stressed on Thursday his country's hope of ending the war in the near future.

"We are talking about the near future; the operation is going, goals are being achieved, work is underway by the military and by negotiators in touch with their Ukrainian counterparts," the spokesperson told reporters.

During an interview with Sky News on Thursday, Peskov had said his country had lost a "significant" number of military personnel in Ukraine, calling the matter a "huge tragedy".

However, he explained on Friday that he relied his words on the latest data provided by the Russian Ministry of Defense.

"Of course, I based on this number. We have only those numbers that the defense ministry publishes. It is a significant number," Peskov said upon being asked what data he based his assertions on, given that the last update from Moscow came out in late March.

At the time, the ministry of defense reported that 1,351 soldiers had died and over 3,800 were injured.

NATO expansion not about security, stability

NATO's expansion will not bring about security and stability, Peskov added when asked about the possible accession of Georgia and Bosnia into the alliance.

"This is not a defensive alliance, and any expansion of this alliance and its influence does not bring additional security and stability," Peskov told reporters.

In light of regional tensions, the spokesperson revealed that Russian President Vladimir Putin would meet with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko in the near future.

"Yes, such a meeting is planned, it will take place soon," Peskov told reporters when asked about a meeting between the two leaders.

Russia had launched a special military operation in Ukraine due to NATO's eastward expansion, the Ukrainian shelling of Donbass, and the killing of the people of the Donetsk People's Republic and Lugansk People's Republic, in addition to Moscow wanting to "denazify" and demilitarize Ukraine.