The Peace Agreement Should Be Signed With Ukraine, Not the United States: Peskov

On Tuesday, in response to Washington’s calls for an immediate halt to the Ukrainian conflict, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that “the peace agreement must be signed with Ukraine, not with the United States.”

Peskov recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin had recently expressed his willingness to hold direct talks with the Ukrainians without preconditions.

“That willingness remains. Unfortunately, we have not yet heard any statements or comments from Kiev, so we do not know whether they are willing or not. Kiev is setting many preconditions, such as a long-term ceasefire. This contradicts Putin’s stance,” Peskov noted, describing most of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s reactions as “misguided.”

Regarding the U.S., the Kremlin spokesperson stated that Russia values “the tireless efforts” of President Donald Trump’s administration, although he emphasized the need to address the conflict’s root causes.

“We understand that Washington wants quick success in this process. At the same time, we understand that the primary causes of the Ukrainian crisis are too complex to be resolved overnight. There are many nuances that must be taken into account,” Peskov said.

As for a possible meeting between Putin and Trump, Peskov also stressed that direct contacts at the highest level are always effective and help to “smooth over differences.” Therefore, “if necessary,” such contact will be initiated, as communication channels between Moscow and Washington have been reestablished.

“We still trust that the U.S. efforts will succeed, and President Putin is willing to support that process,” Peskov affirmed, reiterating that Putin supports a ceasefire and a political-diplomatic resolution.

However, before that can happen, issues such as the establishment of guarantees to uphold the truce must be resolved, and steps must be taken to prevent Ukraine from using the time to regroup and rearm.

Meanwhile, in a phone conversation, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed to Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov the urgent need to end the war in Ukraine “now.”