Washington – Sputnik. Trump explained to journalists in response to a question about the timing of the meeting: “I don’t know. Maybe relatively soon. We will decide this one way or another, but soon.” The Russian president recently announced that he is serious about holding a direct meeting. However, the latter refused the offer, while at the same time affirming that he is open to dialogue “in any format.” Trump had previously indicated arrangements for a meeting between Putin and Zelensky, paving the way for a possible trilateral meeting with his participation.
The Russian president’s aide for international affairs, Yuri Ushakov, reported that a phone call between Trump and Putin addressed the support for continuing direct negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv. He mentioned that the discussion also included the possibility of raising the level of representation between the Russian and Ukrainian sides in the next phase.
Moscow has repeatedly confirmed that it is open to negotiations with Ukraine. The Russian presidential spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, emphasized Russia’s firm stance on pursuing a peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine, stating: “The Russian side confirms its readiness to pursue peaceful dialogue and search for ways to develop a peaceful settlement.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin, after concluding talks with Trump, asserted that the “root causes of the Ukrainian crisis must be addressed to achieve a long-term settlement.” He pointed out the importance of resuming cooperation between Russia and the United States.
