The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky may travel to Moscow for talks if he is ready for “responsible and serious” discussions aimed at resolving the Ukrainian conflict, but said there are currently no official channels of communication between Russia and Ukraine.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the comments during a press conference, according to Russian news agency TASS.He added that there are currently no formal mechanisms for dialogue between Moscow and Kiev, but noted that Russia remains open to direct participation under certain circumstances.“There are no official channels of communication between Moscow and Kiev,” Peskov said, according to what was reported by TASS.However, he added that Zelensky could come to Moscow if he was willing to hold substantive discussions on ending the conflict.“Zelensky, you know that Putin has already said everything, and everything has been shown. It has been said and repeated many times that if Zelensky is ready to speak responsibly and seriously, and the Kiev regime knows very well what he is talking about, he can always come to Moscow, where he will be received,” Peskov said.The Kremlin’s statements came after renewed diplomatic activity regarding the Ukrainian war, as US President Donald Trump held talks with Zelensky on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France.
Trump said after his meeting with the Ukrainian leader that Russia should agree to a peace agreement with Ukraine, adding that he would do “everything in my power” to help end the conflict.“Look, Russia has to make a deal,” Trump told reporters, according to Reuters.Zelensky later said that G7 leaders agreed that Russia had not won the war and discussed possible additional sanctions targeting Moscow’s oil exports, banking sector and military production.Peskov also commented on the expected visit of US representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Russia for talks related to the Ukrainian conflict, saying that no specific dates have been set yet.Peskov said: “There are no specific dates for the visit of US envoys Steve Vitkov and Jared Kushner to Russia yet.”He added: “The American negotiators will arrive soon, but there are no specific dates yet. As you know, the Americans are busy preparing and signing the memorandum that was agreed upon.”
We know that the signing is scheduled to take place in Switzerland this weekend. “After that, they will probably be able to travel to Moscow.”European leaders at the G7 summit were pressing Trump to take a tougher stance against Moscow, including through possible additional sanctions, while Ukrainian officials sought to highlight Kiev’s position on the battlefield and increase pressure on Russia.Meanwhile, Peskov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin was not invited to the G7 summit.He added: “There was no invitation, of course.”The Kremlin spokesman also said that Putin and Trump did not discuss the potential meeting between Putin and Zelensky during their recent phone call.He added that no one had submitted to Russia a proposal to arrange such a meeting.
