The Kremlin confirmed today that Russian officials have been in contact with members of the Trump administration, but did not specify whether the discussions were focused on ending the war in Ukraine.
“There have been contacts between certain agencies, and these have intensified recently,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “I cannot share more details,” he added, as reported by The Moscow Times.
Peskov also dismissed the recent willingness expressed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to negotiate peace directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Willingness must be based on something,” Peskov said. “It cannot be based on a legal ban that prevents Zelensky from engaging in such talks,” referring to the Ukrainian leader’s 2022 announcement that he would not negotiate peace with Moscow as long as Putin remains president of Russia.
“For now, these are just empty words,” he added.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that members of his administration are already in discussions with Russian authorities to end the war in Ukraine.
“We will talk, and I think we can do something meaningful,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We want to put an end to that war.”
When asked if he had personally spoken with Putin on the phone, Trump replied, “I don’t want to say that.”
Putin said last month that he was ready to meet with Trump to discuss the war in Ukraine, as well as “other areas of interest to both the U.S. and Russia.”
Reuters reported earlier this week that Russian officials were considering Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as potential locations for upcoming talks between the two leaders.
