“We are grateful for the efforts of the administration of US President Donald Trump, and we are ready to meet as many times as necessary to reach a peace agreement,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated today.

Peskov's statement followed a nearly 5-hour meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff, along with Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law, at the Kremlin on 2/12/2024.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov in Moscow on 10/5. Photo: AFP

Witkoff and Kushner arrived in Moscow with an updated version of a US-proposed plan to end the conflict, following discussions between Washington and Kyiv. However, after the meeting, neither side announced any progress towards a peace agreement to conclude the conflict, which has lasted for nearly 4 years in Ukraine.

When asked if President Putin had rejected the US proposal, Peskov denied it, stating that the President accepted some ideas from the US regarding Ukraine.

“Some aspects were accepted, but others were not; this is a normal process to reach a compromise,” he said. He did not specify what Russia accepted or rejected in the proposed agreement.

The Kremlin spokesperson added that this was the first direct exchange of views between the two sides. He stated that Moscow expects Washington to also keep this process confidential to achieve progress in peace negotiations.

Before the meeting with the US delegation, President Putin issued a strong statement, accusing Europe of trying to undermine the peace plan development process for Ukraine.

European leaders had expressed concern about being sidelined in the process to end the conflict. Addressing this issue, Peskov emphasized that Europe “is not involved in this process because they remain obsessed with the idea of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia.”

The Trump administration has not commented on Peskov's statement.

By Vu Hoang (Based on AFP, Reuters, CNN)