Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow is waiting for a signal from Kiev about the talks, Russian media reported.
“From Kiev at least. Kiev should take some action in this regard. They have a legal ban on this (negotiations – ed). But so far we don’t see any action,” he said when asked from whom Moscow was waiting for a signal on peace talks.
Washington has stepped up efforts to end the war in recent months. Current US President Donald Trump claimed even before his inauguration in January that he could stop Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 24 hours.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on 27 April that a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine should be concluded soon, and Washington is trying to determine whether to continue to play the role of mediator. He did not say how long the Trump administration is willing to wait for a breakthrough.
In October 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky introduced a decree by the National Security and Defence Council to ban talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Later in January 20225, Zelensky said that further contacts could be in different formats, and they depend on what the plan to end the war will be.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was not ready to sign a peace treaty with Zelensky, whom he again called “illegitimate.”