Russia welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's statement that Kiev is ready to negotiate to end the war, but it remains unclear for the Kremlin with whom it can hold talks. This was stated by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoted by Reuters and TASS, BTA reports.
Zelensky expressed readiness for negotiations in a letter that was made public by US President Donald Trump yesterday. "Ukraine is ready to sit at the negotiating table as soon as possible to achieve lasting peace. "Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians," Trump said in his speech to the US Congress, quoting the Ukrainian president.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented that Russia viewed the development as "positive" but questioned the specific terms of the talks. He specified that President Zelensky is still legally prohibited from negotiating with the Russian side, citing a 2022 decree that precludes talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"The approach is positive, but the nuances remain unchanged," Peskov added.
During his speech, Peskov also mentioned that future talks between Russia and the US would include a discussion of Iran's nuclear program. He noted that the topic was "raised" during the last talks between Russia and the US last month.
Yesterday, "Bloomberg" reported that Russia had agreed to assist the Trump administration in communicating with Iran on issues related to Tehran's nuclear program and its support for anti-American regional groups. The Kremlin did not confirm this information, but hinted that Iran would be an important topic of future talks between Washington and Moscow.
Peskov stressed that Russia believes that the issue of Iran's nuclear program should be resolved only through peaceful, political and diplomatic means. "We believe that there is potential for this, because Iran is our ally and partner. Russia is ready to do everything possible to resolve this issue," Peskov added.