Russia Awaits Satisfactory Offer To Begin Talks On Ukraine, RIA Reports

Russia has not yet received a suitable offer to begin talks on Ukraine, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister said Monday, following U.S. President Donald Trump‘s claim that Washington is making progress in ending the war.

“It is important that words be backed up by practical steps that take into account Russia’s legitimate interests, demonstrating a readiness to eradicate the root causes of the crisis and recognise the new realities,” Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told RIA state news agency in an interview.

No ‘Concrete Proposals’ Yet

“Concrete proposals of this nature have not yet been received,” Galuzin said.

There has been a slew of contradictory or guarded messages from Washington and Moscow in recent days about possible talks between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on bringing an end to the war that Moscow started nearly three years ago.

Trump-Putin Talks

Trump said over the weekend that he has spoken with Putin and he expects more conversations to come.

“I do believe we’re making progress,” Trump said. “We want to stop the Ukraine-Russia war.”

‘Different Communications Emerging’

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the TASS state news agency on Sunday that “many different communications are emerging” on talks between Putin and Trump and that he may not be aware of everything.

“Therefore, in this case, I can neither confirm nor deny it,” Peskov said when asked by TASS to comment.

An End To War 

Trump has repeatedly said he wants to end the war and that he will meet with Putin to discuss it. On Sunday, Trump told reporters that he would meet with Putin at an appropriate time.

On Friday, Trump said he would probably meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy this week to discuss ending the war.

‘Existential’ For Russia’s Survival

Putin sees the war, which marks its third anniversary on February 24, as existential for Russia’s survival. Kyiv and its Western allies see it as an unprovoked colonial-style land grab.

Zelenskyy told Reuters that he wanted Ukraine to supply the United States with rare earths and other minerals in return for financially supporting its war effort.

Ukraine’s NATO Integration Goal

The Ukrainian president has ruled out in the past ceding any territory to Russia and insisted on his number-one priority of NATO integration.

Galuzin told RIA that Moscow remains open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but it will keep its demand unchanged: no further expansion of NATO and protection of rights of Russian residents in Ukraine.

(With inputs from Reuters)