The Kremlin announced that it was too early to make an official comment on claims that the US and Ukraine were holding talks on halting air strikes to end the war.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Interfax news agency, "We do not know how reliable these reports are or where they came from. They are just newspaper stories. Therefore, it is too early to comment at this stage."
A Ukrainian source who spoke to Reuters said that Ukrainian and US officials were discussing a proposal for an air ceasefire to be presented to Moscow. The same source stated that Ukraine had previously made ceasefire offers to Russian President Vladimir Putin but that these were rejected. Some officials believe that the pressure of Ukraine's drone and missile strikes on the Russian economy could soften Putin's stance.
Peskov stressed that Russia's response to a possible new peace initiative would depend on how well it aligned with Moscow's interests. "We have heard statements that some new formulas could be possible. We need to learn more about them," Peskov said, noting that some proposals were likely to be put forward over time and that the subsequent process would take shape according to how much these proposals coincided with its interests.
While US mediation efforts have largely stalled in recent months, diplomatic attention has also turned to the war with Iran. Russian officials said they hoped US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would visit Moscow when their schedules permit and that dialogue with Washington would continue.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke this week with Witkoff and Kushner about the possible resumption of negotiations and is expected to meet with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday in Washington.
