Moscow maintains both “interest and readiness” to continue peace negotiations, Dmitry Peskov has said
Russian President Vladimir Putin has not ruled out meeting Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky but it should serve as the final stage of meaningful diplomacy beforehand, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.
US President Donald Trump urged the two leaders to meet face-to-face, following his summit with Putin earlier this month in Alaska.
In a press briefing on Friday, Peskov stressed that the Russian president remains open to bilateral talks with Zelensky.
“He does not rule out the possibility of holding such a meeting, but believes that any summit meeting should be well prepared so that it can finalize the work that must first be carried out at an expert level,” he said.
Preparation for such a meeting is not “very active,” he added, noting that Moscow maintains “interest and readiness for negotiations.”
Peskov also stressed the need for ongoing peace talks, following Putin’s meeting with Trump in Alaska, to stay confidential.
In the interests of the settlement, it is now important to work in a discrete fashion.
“We are deliberately not disclosing all the details of the conversation between the two presidents, which took place in Alaska,” where “the topic of Ukrainian settlement was discussed in depth,” he added.
Trump has reportedly grown increasingly frustrated with both Ukraine and the EU in recent weeks for making unrealistic demands, The Atlantic reported on Thursday, citing US officials. He has previously urged Zelensky to “show some flexibility,” to advance the peace process.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said last week that Moscow has agreed to be flexible on several issues discussed by Trump and Putin in Alaska.
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