Russia: Pause in Ukraine talks due to Kyiv

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump have not ruled out the possibility of a future summit.

Peskov noted that there is currently no concrete plan to organise a summit, but Trump has repeatedly indicated in recent days that such a meeting could take place in the future. “President Trump stated that at present he is not considering organising a summit, but he does not rule out the possibility of one taking place later,” Peskov said.

The spokesman also stressed that for a leaders’ meeting to be productive, preparatory work must first be carried out at the ministerial level, specifically by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Touching on Ukraine, Peskov described the current state of talks as a “prolonged pause,” attributing it to Kyiv’s unwillingness to accelerate negotiations. He added that this stance is primarily encouraged by Ukraine’s European partners.

Regarding Putin’s warning of a “stunning response” should the U.S. deliver Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, Peskov clarified that the warning applies to any such strike in general, not a specific weapon.

On new Western sanctions, Peskov said Russia would respond in line with its national interests, and that the impact of the measures would be assessed in six months.

Finally, Peskov addressed Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s desire to conclude a peace treaty with Russia, confirming that Moscow shares this goal. He added, however, that dialogue has “virtually ceased” due to “unfriendly steps” taken by previous Japanese governments.

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