The Kremlin on Friday stated that many reports regarding U.S. plans to end the Ukraine war were inaccurate, urging patience amid growing speculation about the timing of a potential meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump.
‘Hoaxes’
At a briefing with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was asked about a report that Trump’s envoy for Russia and Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, was seeking to arrange a truce even before talks on a peace settlement.
“We have nothing to add yet. There are a lot of statements and reports on this topic that are refuted, changed, recognised as hoaxes or something else the next day,” Peskov said.
“There is nothing substantive on this account yet; we just need to be patient,” the spokesperson added.
Trump-Putin Meeting
Trump and Putin have both said they are keen to meet in person. The agenda, if such a meeting takes place, is expected to focus on Trump’s stated aim to bring a swift end to the three-year-old conflict.
In the run-up to his November 5 election victory, Trump declared many times that he would have a deal in place between Ukraine and Russia on his first day in office, if not before. His advisers now concede the war will take months to resolve.
“Russia is open to negotiations. In any case, a settlement should come as a result of negotiations,” Peskov said.
CNN earlier quoted Peskov as saying there had been no initial contact between the two leaders about whether such a meeting was needed or where and how it might take place.
Preparations At ‘Advanced Stage’
Leonid Slutsky, head of the Russian parliament’s international affairs committee, was cited by the state RIA news agency on Thursday as saying that preparations for such a meeting were at “an advanced stage” and that it could take place in February or March.
Peskov said on Wednesday that contacts with Trump’s team at the level of “individual departments” were intensifying, but declined to provide further details.
(With inputs from Reuters)
