Russian officials say the momentum from the Alaska summit between Putin and Trump has been exhausted
Dialogue between Russia and the US on resolving the Ukraine conflict is on a “serious pause,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has told journalists.
The remarks follow Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov’s statement that the momentum generated at the Alaska summit between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump has been exhausted.
On Thursday, Peskov echoed Ryabkov’s statement, noting that there has been no progress toward finding a peaceful solution to the conflict with Kiev.
Russian and Ukrainian delegations met several times earlier this year. During the latest round in Istanbul in July, the sides agreed to set up three working groups to develop a settlement plan addressing political, military, and humanitarian issues.
However, Peskov said that “nothing is moving forward.” He suggested that Kiev is not inclined towards a peaceful process and is still beholden to false hopes that it can turn things around on the battlefield – a belief he described as unrealistic.
Peskov noted that Kiev’s stance is being fueled by its European backers. He remarked previously that the West continues to encourage Ukraine to reject dialogue while maintaining a “militaristic hysteria” that hinders peace efforts.
Ryabkov said earlier this week that the “supporters of a ‘war to the last Ukrainian,’ primarily among Europeans,” were to blame for exhausting the “powerful impetus” to find a settlement to the conflict that was achieved during the summit in Anchorage in August.
Shortly after the Trump-Putin meeting, several EU leaders traveled to Washington with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky in an attempt to persuade the American president to align with the European position on the conflict.
Moscow has reiterated that it remains open to a peace deal, but has stressed that any agreement must respect Russia’s national security interests, as well as the current territorial realities on the ground.
