Russia remains prepared for negotiations with Ukraine and expects a trilateral meeting involving the United States in the foreseeable future, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Friday.
In an interview with Izvestia, Peskov said it was difficult to predict the effectiveness of a potential meeting amid what he described as the daily deterioration of the situation for Kyiv.
"We remain open to negotiations,” he said. "We hope that, as was said with the American negotiators, in the foreseeable future we will be able to gather again as a group of three and continue the dialogue.”
Peskov said Moscow’s conditions are well known, as are what it calls the causes of the "special military operation,” a term Moscow uses to refer to the war in Ukraine, which it says must be addressed.
Peskov said no final agreements had been reached on a possible meeting in China between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump.
He also addressed potential attempts by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to influence Trump ahead of such a meeting, saying the U.S. president has his own view of his relationship with Putin that is unlikely to be changed by anyone.
On Wednesday, Trump said the Russian president wants to reach a deal to end the war in Ukraine and suggested a trilateral meeting with Putin and Zelenskyy could take place.
Last week, U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited the Russian and Ukrainian capitals for talks with the leadership of both countries.
