Kremlin signals before Lavrov-Rubio meeting that its stance on Ukraine peace talks remains unchanged

MOSCOW: The Kremlin made it clear on Wednesday, prior to a scheduled gathering in New York involving US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, that there were still no indications for Ukraine peace discussions to commence, despite Russia maintaining an open posture towards such talks. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov informed reporters that "for now, there are no prerequisites for moving onto a peaceful negotiating track, although we, as the Russian side, remain open to peace talks."

Earlier in the week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed readiness for a trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, hoping the US would persuade Moscow to join the dialogue following the collapse of peace negotiations earlier this year. Peskov reiterated that Putin remained open to meeting Trump individually should both leaders find it necessary.

However, he emphasized that Russia's position regarding a potential meeting between Putin and Zelenskiy in person had not shifted. The Kremlin has maintained that Zelenskiy should arrive in Moscow for such a meeting, having already approved the necessary measures Russia has been advocating, a demand Kyiv has consistently rejected, arguing that any talks should occur in a neutral location.

Peskov also downplayed the notion of a summit, stating, "Generally speaking, in any other circumstances, it would be inappropriate to hold a summit meeting before the groundwork has been laid at expert level, as this would be a waste of time."