Kremlin confirms Russia not engaged in current Ukraine peace talks with US

Russia continues to maintain ongoing contacts with the United States, but it is not currently participating in discussions on a settlement in Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

He noted that negotiations on the issue are taking place directly between Washington and Kyiv, and Moscow is waiting to see the outcome of those talks, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

“They [contacts with the US-ed.] continue constantly, but this is no longer about discussing [a Ukrainian settlement-ed.]—for now, the discussions are taking place between the Americans and Kyiv, and we are waiting for the outcomes of those talks,” Peskov told reporters.

When asked whether interactions between Moscow and Washington are maintained at the level of the Foreign Ministry or other agencies, Peskov clarified: “At the level of existing contacts.”

Negotiations resumed in late November following the presentation of a US peace plan aimed at resolving the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Initially comprising 28 points, the plan was subsequently revised and condensed after consultations between the American delegation and Ukrainian officials in Geneva on November 23. On November 30, further discussions were held in Miami, after which the US delegation traveled to Moscow.

On December 2, high-level meetings took place in Moscow between Russian and American officials. President Vladimir Putin, his aide Yury Ushakov, and the presidential special envoy for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries, Kirill Dmitriev, engaged with US presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. According to the Kremlin, territorial issues were part of the discussions, though no compromise was reached.

Two additional rounds of consultations between US and Ukrainian negotiators were held in Florida on December 4 and 5. On December 6, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported a substantive and extended telephone discussion with Witkoff and Kushner regarding the peace plan, affirming Kyiv’s commitment to engage constructively with Washington to achieve a durable settlement.

President Putin remarked that the points outlined in the US peace proposal could form the foundation for future agreements, but stressed that the plan must first be rendered “into diplomatic language.”

By Vafa Guliyeva