Russia hopes that U.S.-mediated peace talks with Ukraine will resume in the near future, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today, quoted by Reuters, BTA reports.
Such talks have not been held since February.
The Kremlin will not publicly discuss the potential elements of a possible peace agreement, Peskov stressed.
"There is a common initiative, a common political desire, which has been confirmed, to resume the trilateral talks," Peskov said, quoted by TASS. "We hope that in the foreseeable future these negotiations will be resumed", he stressed, adding that "as before, we continue to maintain contacts with our American partners".
Peskov's statement came after Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart Donald Trump discussed the prospects for ending the war by phone yesterday, Reuters notes.
In addition, the Kremlin spokesman said that European countries had found themselves in a difficult situation amid rising natural gas prices and that they could purchase gas at lower prices from Russia.
Natural gas prices in Europe have surged against the backdrop of the war in Iran, reaching their highest level last week since late 2022, when the start of the conflict in Ukraine forced Europe to cut off Russian gas supplies through pipelines, notes Reuters.
Peskov said Europe was harming itself by buying expensive gas at current prices instead of taking advantage of the more affordable Russian alternative.
"Logically and based on common sense, of course, Europeans should look for cheaper sources of energy supply and cheaper gas. "Russian gas, Russian pipeline gas, Russian liquefied gas could have long ago become cheaper gas for them, although liquefied gas is always sold at a spot price," he said, quoted by TASS.
In connection with yesterday's decision by Hungary to expel 10 Russian diplomats, the Kremlin spokesman stressed that this would have a negative impact on bilateral relations and that Russia would respond accordingly, Reuters notes.
Nevertheless, Moscow remains open to further development of relations between the two countries, Peskov added.
The Kremlin spokesman also commented on the topic of the prisoner exchange with the United States, emphasizing that the topic is constantly on the agenda of contacts between Russia and the United States, including at the highest level. Peskov also explained more about the possibility of a trilateral meeting between Russia, the United States and China on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' forum in November in the Chinese city of Shenzhen, TASS notes.
"Undoubtedly, such a potential opportunity was also mentioned earlier, and there will be such an opportunity", Peskov said, commenting on the words of Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov in Bishkek that Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping had discussed the option of organizing a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the APEC forum.