Russia said Thursday that the US will become the “major counterpart” in future peace negotiations to end Ukraine's invasion.
“Of course, we understand that Washington is the main counterpart of this process,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov This was said in Russian state media. “Of course, Ukraine will take part in the negotiations.”
“Of course there are tracks of Russian-Americans bilateral in this dialogue and, of course, related to Ukrainian involvement,” Peskov added.
His remarks came shortly after President Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin called on Wednesday, aimed at opening negotiations under the Trump administration.
Trump said it was a “long, very productive” call with Putin, where he discussed Ukraine, the Middle East, energy, artificial intelligence and more. He said the two sides agreed to save lives, stop the fight and “work very closely together, including visiting each other's countries.”
Speaking to reporters after the call, Trump will not particularly say whether he considers Ukraine a “equal member” in his efforts to end the war.
“That's an interesting question,” he said, adding, “I think they have to make peace.”
Ukrainian President Voldymir Zelensky said that Trump was “not comfortable” to call Putin the first thing he called before speaking to him. Trump called Zelensky later that day.
“As an independent country, we cannot accept the contract without us,” Zelensky said. “And I am very clear about this to our partners. Without us, we would not accept bilateral negotiations on Ukraine.”
Still, the Russian spokesman did not say whether Ukrainian officials would be included in the peace talks.
“So far, no decisions have been made, either at the work level or at the highest level,” Peskov said. “Of course, it takes time to prepare such a meeting. It could take a few weeks. It could take a month, and it could take several months.”
