Moscow signals openness to Ukraine peace talks

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Russia is ready to resume contacts and engage in dialogue.

Speaking to reporters, Peskov argued that communication is necessary to address the many issues arising from Russia’s war against Ukraine and broader international tensions, News.Az reports, citing Kyiv Post.

However, he said Russia is not to blame for “ending” previous communications.

“We were not the initiators of bringing these contacts to zero and ending them. And common sense itself, of course, dictates the need for contacts in order to discuss the huge number of issues, the most complex issues that are on the agenda and that represent challenges for us,” Peskov said.

He did not specify what format such contacts could take or whether Moscow had received any new proposals for talks.

The comments came a day after Kyiv struck the Moscow refinery near the Kremlin in a record drone strike, with logistics supplying occupied Crimea and southern Ukraine under strain due to Kyiv’s ongoing “middle strike” campaign.

A history of going nowhere

Moscow has signaled its willingness to negotiate on multiple occasions since 2022, but none have put a meaningful stop to the largest war in Europe since WWII.

In March 2025, soon after US President Donald Trump’s return to office, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin said a 30-day ceasefire was “good and we absolutely support it” before questioning the effectiveness of the proposal.

The deal ultimately culminated in an energy ceasefire in name only due to differing interpretations of its terms.

In May 2025, multiple EU leaders threatened Moscow with a sanctions ultimatum. Putin countered with an offer to resume the 2022 Istanbul talks, but sent a historian in his place to lead the delegation. The talks resulted in prisoner swaps, but neither ceasefires nor concrete frameworks to end the war.

In August, Trump threatened Putin with a 50-day ultimatum – later reduced to 10-12 days – to either move toward a ceasefire or face massive sanctions. It eventually earned Putin a face-to-face meeting with Trump in Alaska that resulted in neither a ceasefire nor sanctions.

In recent weeks, Putin and his foreign minister have pushed for a settlement based on unpublished terms agreed during the Alaska summit without Kyiv’s participation, which are believed to include recognition of occupied Crimea and Ukraine ceding the Donbas region.

News.Az 

By Ulviyya Salmanli