Russia says Ukraine peace talks remain on hold, with no ‘new ideas’ floated

Burc Eruygur

Russia-Ukraine peace talks are still on hold and no “new ideas” have been floated around on the subject, the Kremlin said on Friday.

“The issue of peace negotiations: yes, this topic is currently on hold, and there are no new ideas,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, as negotiations remain stalled amid Washington’s focus on the Iran war.

Peskov said Ukraine is well aware of Russia’s demands for an end to the ongoing four-year war, but accused Kyiv of not seeking to resolve the conflict peacefully.

“That is why we continue to ensure such positive momentum on the front lines,” Peskov said, adding that Russia’s military actions in Ukraine continue.

Moscow and Kyiv last held peace negotiations under US mediation earlier this year, when they held three rounds of peace talks on Jan. 23-24, Feb. 4-5 and Feb. 17-18. The first two were held in Abu Dhabi, while the third took place in Geneva.

Negotiations have since been paused, with Moscow and Kyiv attributing the halt to the US focus on Iran, which began in late February.

Peskov said a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump is not planned following CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s visit to Moscow earlier this week.

Meanwhile, the spokesman said, preparations are underway for Putin’s visit to Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek, where he said the Russian president will have a “very busy schedule.”

Noting that Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov will hold a briefing on this topic, Peskov added that Putin’s schedule will involve bilateral meetings and issues concerning the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

The Kyrgyz capital will host the latest summit of the SCO on Sept. 1, as the organization marks its 25th anniversary. Chinese President Xi Jinping, among other heads of state and government, will also attend the meeting in Bishkek.