The Kremlin said Thursday that a face-to-face meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin should be arranged “promptly,” coming a day after the two leaders held a phone call.
“There is definitely a need to organize such a meeting quite promptly — the heads of state have a lot to talk about,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Trump said Wednesday that he held a “lengthy and highly productive phone call” with Putin, adding that the two agreed to begin ceasefire negotiations for the war in Ukraine.
The U.S. president's direct engagement with Putin has raised concerns that Kyiv may be sidelined in discussions about its own future. And Trump has suggested that Ukraine is unlikely to reclaim all of its lost territory or achieve NATO membership as part of any potential settlement.
Peskov said Thursday that Kremlin officials have already started forming a delegation to negotiate with Washington on a number of key issues, including the war in Ukraine.
“The previous U.S. administration took the view that everything should be done to prolong the war. The current administration, as we understand it, believes everything should be done to stop the war and achieve peace,” Peskov said.
“We find this position far more appealing and are open to dialogue,” he added.
Trump told White House reporters on Wednesday that he expects to meet with Putin in Saudia Arabia soon, something the Kremlin neither confirmed nor denied.
“The process will move quickly. They will need to wait for initial proposals before finalizing the location and timing,” Peskov said.
The Kremlin spokesman added that Russia wants European security to be a key part of any U.S.-Russia negotiations, in an apparent reference to Putin’s long-standing opposition to NATO expansion.
Before launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow demanded NATO roll back its presence to 1997 levels, which would exclude Poland and the Baltic states from the alliance.
Putin has repeatedly cited NATO expansion as justification for the invasion.
"All issues related to security on the European continent, especially in those aspects that concern our country... should be discussed comprehensively, and we expect that to be the case," Peskov said.
AFP contributed reporting.
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