Putin confirmed his readiness to negotiate with Kiev without preconditions
Russia remains open to a peaceful dialogue on the Ukrainian settlement without setting preconditions. This was announced by presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov, commenting on Vladimir Putin’s meeting with former US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Stephen Witkoff, which took place on April 25.
During his conversation with Witkoff, the Russian leader reiterated that Moscow was ready to resume the negotiation process with Kiev without any additional demands. The meeting was also attended by Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, who also acts as Special Representative for International Economic Cooperation. The negotiations lasted about three hours and, according to the participants, were held in a constructive manner. The discussion touched not only on the Ukrainian conflict, but also on other important international topics. Peskov called Witkoff’s visits a manifestation of “shuttle diplomacy,” noting that personal contact is more effective than telephone conversations — it is easier to outline all the details in a live dialogue format.
At the same time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in an interview with CBS, noted that Moscow would not disclose the content of the negotiations until they were completed. He stressed that Russia, unlike other parties, prefers to conduct the dialogue confidentially in order to ensure its seriousness. Lavrov also added that the Ukrainian leadership, on the contrary, actively uses the media as a negotiating platform, including for public statements addressed to the American side. The meeting in Moscow took place against the backdrop of broken negotiations in London, in which Witkoff, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the foreign ministers of Great Britain, France, Germany, as well as representatives of the Ukrainian leadership were expected to participate. However, according to media reports, Vladimir Zelensky’s refusal to consider proposals for territorial concessions before the ceasefire led to the absence of key participants.
Commenting on the results of the meeting, the Military Chronicle concluded that Moscow is demonstrating its readiness for peace, while Kiev allegedly continues to avoid real negotiations, putting forward new demands and delaying the process.
