The Kremlin stated on Monday that it was still awaiting “signals” from the United States regarding a possible meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump.
The announcement came after both leaders expressed their openness to talks last week, although neither side has provided details on when or how such a meeting would take place.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia had not yet received any signals from the US, but reiterated that Russia remained ready for dialogue. He also noted that the same readiness had been communicated by the American side.
The ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which has persisted for nearly three years, has significantly strained relations between the two nuclear powers, plunging their ties to their lowest point since the Cold War.
Trump, who assumed office on January 20, 2025, had previously stated that he was willing to meet with Putin “immediately” in an effort to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. Last week, the US president made his position clear, emphasizing that he wanted to reach a peace deal swiftly.
Putin responded positively to Trump’s offer, praising him as a “smart” and “pragmatic” individual. The Russian president also suggested that the Ukraine crisis might not have unfolded the way it did in 2022 had Trump been president at the time.
“I cannot but agree with him that if he had been president — if his victory hadn’t been stolen in 2020 — then maybe there would not have been the crisis in Ukraine that emerged in 2022,” Putin said during his comments on Friday.
Kyiv, however, has expressed concerns over being left out of any potential peace talks between the two leaders, accusing Putin of seeking to manipulate Trump.
Despite these warnings, Trump has continued to push for an immediate resolution to the conflict, stressing his intent to fulfill his campaign promise of ending the war during his second term.
In a statement on Truth Social last Wednesday, Trump called for a rapid peace deal, claiming that the war would never have begun under his administration.
He also reiterated his stance on imposing stricter sanctions if the conflict does not come to a swift conclusion.
