Kremlin says it hopes for a new Putin-Trump summit

The Kremlin stated on Monday that it hoped another summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump could take place once the necessary preparations had been completed.

Putin and Trump last met in August at a summit in Alaska, where they discussed a potential resolution to end the war in Ukraine.

Last month, plans were announced for a summit in Budapest, but Trump cancelled it shortly after, stating that the timing did not feel right.

When asked whether Moscow had missed an opportunity, and under what conditions a new meeting between Putin and Trump might occur, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "We can hardly predict when these conditions will arise. However, we are certainly all keen for these conditions to occur sooner rather than later."

He added that both sides agreed that a summit required thorough preparation to be effective.

"Therefore, once this preparation is complete and the conditions for holding the summit are in place, we hope it will take place."

When announcing the cancellation of the Budapest summit, Trump last month reiterated his frustration with Putin, saying: "Every time I speak with Vladimir, I have good conversations, and then they don’t lead anywhere." On October 22, he imposed Ukraine-related sanctions on Russia, targeting oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil for the first time in his second term.

On Sunday, Trump stated that U.S. Republicans were working on legislation that would impose sanctions on any country conducting business with Russia – a move Peskov said would be met with strong opposition from Moscow.

"We'll see how this bill progresses and what details are involved. We would, of course, take a very negative view of that," he said.

Trump has also significantly increased tariffs on Indian goods, citing India's purchase of Russian oil, which Moscow described as illegal trade pressure.

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