The Russian administrative center (Kremlin) has called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s announcement of his readiness for talks with Russia to end the three-year conflict “positive.”
Amid an unimaginable dispute between Ukraine and its key ally, the United States, Ukrainian leader Zelensky said on Tuesday he was “ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring a lasting peace closer.”
“The outlook is generally positive,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in response to a question from AFP. Addressing the US Congress, President Donald Trump read aloud a letter from Zelensky, in which the Ukrainian leader said he was ready for peace talks.
The Kremlin has repeatedly expressed doubts about whether to negotiate with Zelensky. On Wednesday, Peskov said that direct talks with Putin were not possible, citing an order issued by Zelensky. The Ukrainian leader has repeatedly said he is willing to meet Putin, but has said this will only be possible once Kiev and its Western allies agree on a common position for talks.
Moscow has accused Zelensky of not being a legitimate leader for talks, saying his five-year term as president ended after he was elected in 2019. According to Ukraine’s military law, elections are banned during wartime.
Zelensky’s key European supporters have backed a postponement of the vote amid Russia’s full-scale invasion. However, Trump has falsely claimed that the Ukrainian leader is widely unpopular at home and has called for him to hold an election.
Last Friday, Trump announced that he would suspend US military aid to Kiev after a heated exchange with Zelensky in the Oval Office. Suspicions have been expressed in Kiev and across Europe that Trump is trying to force Ukraine to accept a peace deal favored by Moscow.
Meanwhile, the Russian military has captured another small village in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said. According to data from the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russia’s progress slowed in February, despite capturing more land.
