Bloomberg: Russia signaling readiness for negotiations, but U.S. officials skeptical

Russia has been signaling to the U.S. through unofficial channels that it’s ready for negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, including discussions of future security guarantees for Ukraine, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing two sources close to the Kremlin.

The Russian authorities reportedly communicated this to U.S. officials through an unnamed intermediary in December.

According to Bloomberg’s sources, Vladimir Putin may be open to dropping his demand that Ukraine remain neutral, even though the threat of Ukrainian NATO membership was one of his main justifications for Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country. In return, he would ask Kyiv to recognize the regions occupied by Moscow in recent years as Russian territory.

Adrienne Watson, a representative of the U.S. National Security Council, told Bloomberg that the Council is “unaware” of such changes in Russia’s position. She stressed that “whether, when and how to negotiate with Russia” will be Ukraine’s decision.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Bloomberg that Putin has repeatedly stated that Russia is open to talks. “We are determined to reach our goals. And would prefer to complete it by diplomatic means. If not, the military operation will be continued till we reach our goals,” he said.

Bloomberg noted that U.S. officials “have consistently said they’ve seen no indications Russia is ready for serious talks” and that they’re skeptical Putin really wants to end the war.

In December, The New York Times reported that Vladimir Putin began signaling to Washington in September that he is “open to a cease-fire that freezes the fighting along the current lines.” When asked about these purported signals, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with The Economist that he had seen “no fundamental steps” towards peace from Russia, only “the steps of a terrorist country.”