Kremlin Says No Preconditions Yet for Ukraine Peace Talks, Stays Open to Dialogue
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow remains open to peace talks and high-level meetings, but no preconditions currently exist for negotiations on Ukraine.
The Kremlin said on Wednesday that no preconditions currently exist for shifting the Ukraine conflict onto a peace talks track, even as Moscow insisted it remains open to negotiations and high-level meetings.
Speaking in a conference call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov pointed to continued Western military support for Kyiv as a central obstacle. He said European states are seeking ever more funds to purchase weaponry, and accused the Kyiv government of persisting in activities he described as terrorist in nature.
"As of now, there are no preconditions for a shift toward a peace talks track — although we, as the Russian side, remain open to peace talks," Peskov said.
On the prospect of a Russian-American summit, Peskov said no concrete details have been settled, but added that President Vladimir Putin is open to such a meeting. He noted that Putin and US President Donald Trump have repeatedly stressed in their phone calls a readiness to meet again if needed.
Regarding a possible meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Peskov restated Moscow's long-standing position. He said Putin has made clear that Zelenskyy is welcome to come to Moscow if he wishes, would receive all necessary security guarantees, and knows well what decisions need to be made.
Peskov cautioned, however, that any high-level encounter would be premature without prior work at the expert level. "Holding a high-level [meeting] before the groundwork has been laid at the expert level would be pointless, it would be a useless waste of time," he said.