Commenting on Putin-Trump phone call, Kremlin spokesman says Moscow views Washington as its ‘main counterpart’ in Ukraine peace talks

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that Moscow considers the United States to be its main “counterpart” in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. “One way or another, of course, Ukraine will participate in the negotiations. Naturally, there will also be a bilateral Russian-American track in this dialogue and a track that will inevitably involve Ukraine,” Peskov said in a new interview that aired on national television. “We certainly understand that Washington is our main counterpart in this process,” he added.

Peskov said Europe’s possible participation in peace talks didn’t come up during the Putin-Trump phone call. “This wasn’t discussed in any way; the conversation didn’t touch on European affairs. The Europeans will need to engage with Washington to secure their place in the process,” explained the Kremlin’s press secretary.

In the Channel One interview, Peskov said “working-level contacts” between Moscow and Washington need some time to take shape so they can prepare the framework for a future meeting between the Russian and American presidents. Peskov acknowledged that Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, has been discussed as a possible summit host, but he added that “no decisions have been made or finalized.”

On February 12, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with his counterparts in Russia and Ukraine on the telephone. After the call with Vladimir Putin, he announced that Russia and the United States had agreed to initiate negotiations on the Ukraine war. Meanwhile, the Kremlin described the conversation as “highly constructive, pragmatic, and fairly candid.” Trump later floated Saudi Arabia as a possible host for his meeting with Putin.