Select Language:
- “Everything is progressing smoothly,” according to a Kremlin spokesperson.
- President Trump urges Russia to “get moving.”
- The Kremlin reports ongoing communication at multiple levels.
On Sunday, the Kremlin announced that talks with President Donald Trump’s administration were progressing positively. However, they cautioned that it might be premature to anticipate immediate results, especially given the strained relations that developed during the tenure of Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden.
Trump has expressed his ambition to be seen as a peacemaker, repeatedly stating his desire to terminate the “bloodbath” in Ukraine—a conflict now described by his administration as a proxy war between the U.S. and Russia, a perspective that aligns with Moscow’s viewpoint.
After his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with President Vladimir Putin, Trump commented on Saturday that while discussions surrounding a potential resolution to the war were going well, “there comes a time when you need to either take action or stay silent.”
“Everything is progressing smoothly,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov conveyed during an interview with Pavel Zarubin, a leading Kremlin reporter for state television, when asked about the contrasting opinions on U.S.-Russia relations.
Peskov indicated that communications were being conducted at various levels, including through the Foreign Ministry, intelligence services, and Putin’s investment envoy, Kirill Dmitriev.
“However, it’s unreasonable to expect swift results,” Peskov remarked, pointing to the damage inflicted on bilateral relations during Biden’s administration.
The conflict that began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has led to the most severe clash between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, which is viewed as the moment during the Cold War when both superpowers neared the brink of nuclear war.
While Witkoff engaged in discussions with Putin in St. Petersburg, Russia’s former imperial capital, regarding a peace agreement for Ukraine, Trump urged Russia to “get moving” towards a resolution.
State television showed Putin welcoming Witkoff, who placed his hand on his heart in greeting, at the onset of their four-hour conversation.
When asked if a meeting between Trump and Putin was on the horizon, Peskov stated that the two countries were “patiently traversing this pathway together,” though he acknowledged that mending ties necessitated substantial and meticulous effort.
Peskov’s comments implied that such a meeting “requires additional work and time.”
European leaders, as well as Ukraine, have characterized Russia’s 2022 invasion as an imperialistic land seizure orchestrated by Putin, with repeated calls for the defeat of Russian forces in battle, despite Moscow controlling nearly 20% of Ukrainian territory.
Putin maintains that the conflict in Ukraine signifies a broader struggle against a waning West, which he claims has humiliated Russia since the Berlin Wall’s fall in 1989 by expanding NATO and encroaching upon what he regards as Russia’s sphere of influence, including Ukraine.
Add us on ChatGPT
Add us on Perplexity
