The Kremlin said today that it welcomed US President Donald Trump's desire to focus on the pursuit of peace in Ukraine after a ceasefire was agreed between Israel and the radical Palestinian group "Hamas" in the Gaza Strip, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA. In addition, Moscow expressed hope that the American head of state would influence Kiev to negotiate a faster end to the war that began in February 2022.
In his speech to the Israeli parliament (Knesset) yesterday, Trump, who facilitated the deal between Israel and "Hamas", said that he wanted to reach an agreement with Tehran on the Iranian nuclear program, but at the same time noted that he was initially focused on ending the war in Ukraine.
"We (...) must first end the issue with Russia. "If you don't mind, Steve, let's focus on Russia first," the US president said, addressing his special envoy Steve Witkoff, who has already held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia remains open to peace talks.
"We certainly welcome such intentions, as well as the confirmation of the political will to do everything possible to promote the pursuit of a peaceful solution," Peskov said when asked about Trump's statements.
"We already know Mr. Witkoff well; "He is effective, he has proven his effectiveness now in the Middle East, and we hope that his talents will continue to contribute to the work that is already being done on the Ukraine issue," the Kremlin spokesman noted.
Russia accuses Ukraine of stalling the negotiations and not responding to Moscow's proposal to create working groups to clarify individual aspects of a possible peace agreement. Kiev, in turn, accuses Russia of being frivolous about such a deal and trying to impose conditions that are tantamount to demanding that Ukraine surrender.
"The Russian side remains open and ready for a peaceful dialogue, and we hope that the influence of the United States and the diplomatic skills of President Trump's envoys will help encourage the Ukrainian side to be more active and show greater willingness to engage in the peace process," Peskov said.
He noted that the dialogue with the United States on Ukraine is also at a standstill, while Trump has spoken about the possibility of supplying Ukraine with "Tomahawk" cruise missiles. Moscow has made it clear that it would consider such a delivery a dangerous escalation of the war, Reuters recalls.