Kremlin says Ukraine peace talks stance unchanged ahead of Lavrov-Rubio meeting
Russia said it remained open to peace talks as US state secretary Marco Rubio and Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov planned to meet in New York.
Ahead of a planned meeting in New York involving US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the Kremlin has stated that Ukraine peace talks are not yet a viable option. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed to reporters that there are currently no prerequisites for negotiations to progress to a peaceful stage.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had previously expressed willingness to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a trilateral summit with former US President Donald Trump, hoping that Trump could facilitate Moscow's participation in peace discussions after the recent collapse of peace talks. Peskov reiterated that Putin is open to a one-on-one meeting with Trump, should both leaders deem it necessary.
However, he emphasized that Russia's position on the possibility of Zelensky and Putin meeting in person has not changed.
According to Peskov, for such a meeting to occur, Zelensky must first meet Russia's demands, a proposal that Kyiv has repeatedly rejected as unacceptable. They argue that any negotiations should only take place in a neutral country. Peskov also downplayed the likelihood of a summit, stating that in usual circumstances, it would be inappropriate to hold a summit before laying the groundwork at an expert level, as it would be a waste of time.
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