It is too early to discuss the format for potential four-way peace talks proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Kremlin said, reiterating its concerns about whether the Ukrainian head of state has a mandate to govern the country, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
In an interview published on Saturday with the Associated Press, Zelensky said he supports four-way talks between the United States, Ukraine, Russia and the EU. He added that it would be "very dangerous" for Washington and Moscow to hold talks to end the war in his country without the participation of Kiev.
The comments came after statements by US President Donald Trump that indicated that Washington and Moscow had already had contacts regarding Ukraine. Trump did not provide details, and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, quoted by the Interfax news agency on January 27, said that direct contacts between Moscow and the Trump administration had not yet taken place.
In response to a question about Zelensky's opinion on the format of future talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media that "so far no one has seriously discussed the possible combination of participants in the negotiations."
"For now, we proceed from the assumption that the Ukrainian president does not have the right to hold such negotiations," he added.
Moscow has long argued that the fact that Zelensky was not re-elected last year when his five-year term expired - due to the current martial law - means that he would not have the legal authority to sign a peace agreement.
Kiev dismisses this position as a disingenuous ploy aimed at complicating the negotiations. Peskov said it was difficult to discuss the possible format of any talks when the 2022 decree signed by Zelensky remains in force and bans negotiations with Russia while President Vladimir Putin is in power.
Moscow argues that the decree should be repealed.
"Discussing the possible composition of participants (in peace talks) while the decree remains in force would probably mean rushing," Peskov stressed.
Putin and Trump have yet to speak by phone since Trump took office. Peskov said today that "it is obvious" such a conversation is planned, but that he has nothing new to say on the matter so far.
Two Russian sources familiar with the discussions told Reuters that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are being considered by Russia as possible venues for a summit between the two leaders.
London continues to support the continuation of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict until the last Ukrainian, but the dynamics on the ground are not in Kiev's favor. Britain continues to impose a confrontational line with Russia on its EU partners, Peskov stressed. He described British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's plans to call for a European summit to strengthen sanctions against Moscow as a manifestation of the "consistent position of the British leadership", TASS notes.