Kremlin says it’s impressed by Trump’s position on ending Ukraine war

The Kremlin said on Thursday that it was impressed by US President Donald Trump’s position on ending the war in the Ukraine, and added that preparations were under way for a bilateral meeting between Trump and Putin.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that there is political will on both the Russian and US sides to find a settlement and end the three-year war.

Putin and Trump spoke by phone for more than an hour on Wednesday and Trump later said that it was not practical for Ukraine to have NATO membership, something Kyiv has been seeking as a guarantee of its future security.

Asked about Trump’s comment that a meeting with Putin could take place in Saudi Arabia, Peskov said that the details of the meeting were yet to be worked out. He declined to comment on which of the two leaders initiated the phone call.

Asked about Putin’s invitation to Trump to visit Moscow, Peskov said there was an exchange of mutual invitations but that the bilateral meeting was a different track.

“There is a political will which was emphasized during yesterday’s conversation to conduct a dialogue in search of a settlement,” Peskov said. “There is agreement that a peaceful negotiated settlement is possible.”

“The previous US administration held the view that everything needed to be done to keep the war going. The current administration, as far as we understand, adheres to the point of view that everything must be done to stop the war and for peace to prevail,” he said.

“We are more impressed with the position of the current administration, and we are open to dialogue.”

Asked if European countries would be represented in peace talks, Peskov said it was premature to talk about the format.