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Kremlin says Putin did not commit to timeline for peace talks and ‘devil is in the detail’
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Russian president Vladimir Putin is refusing to offer a timeline for peace talks despite Donald Trump saying negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow would begin “immediately”.
The Kremlin quickly poured cold water on the US president’s optimistic statements following a two-hour call with Mr Putin aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, saying “there are no deadlines and there can’t be any”.
The process for the two countries to develop a unified text of a peace and ceasefire memorandum will be complex, Mr Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in remarks published early this morning.
Mr Trump had hailed his call with Mr Putin as “excellent” and said he asked his Russian counterpart: “When are we going to end this, Vladimir?”
Earlier, Moscow claimed that Mr Putin was now ready to work towards peace and on a memorandum about future peace talks.
Mr Trump warned that he still has a “red line” after which he will walk away from peace efforts, though he did not say what that was.
Ukraine claims to have inflicted a further 1,030 casualties upon Russia in the past 24 hours of fighting, as another day of intense clashes were reported along the front line.
The general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said there had been 177 combat clashes reported along the frontline as of 8am on Tuesday, with Russia launching 59 airstrikes, deploying nearly 3,000 kamikaze drones and firing more than 5,300 artillery shells.
Once again, the heaviest fighting came in the direction of Pokrovsk, with Ukraine claiming to have stopped 72 Russian assaults in areas close to the Donetsk city, which for months has been central in Vladimir Putin’s sights.
There is no fixed deadline for a memorandum aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
The process for Moscow and Kyiv to develop a unified text of a peace and ceasefire memorandum will be complex, Mr Peskov said in remarks published early this morning.
The remarks from Kremlin show first signs of reluctance in peace talks from Russia after the US president Donald Trump spoke to his Russian counterpart on a lengthy phone call yesterday.
“There are no deadlines and there cannot be any. It is clear that everyone wants to do this as quickly as possible, but, of course, the devil is in the details,” RIA state news agency quoted Mr Peskov as telling reporters.
“The drafts will be formulated by both the Russian and Ukrainian sides, these draft documents will be exchanged, and then – complex contacts to develop a single text,” the Kremlin spokesperson said.
Volodymyr Zelensky has emphasised on Donald Trump’s role in mediating the war in Ukraine after he spoke to the US president yesterday.
After speaking with Mr Trump, Mr Zelensky said Kyiv and its partners might seek a high-level meeting among Ukraine, Russia, the United States, European Union countries and Britain as part of a push to end the war.
“It is crucial for all of us that the United States does not distance itself from the talks and the pursuit of peace, because the only one who benefits from that is Putin. I thank everyone who supports this approach,” he said on X in a post.
He added: “If Russia refuses to stop the killings, refuses to release prisoners of war and hostages, if Putin puts forward unrealistic demands, this will mean that Russia continues to drag out the war, and deserves that Europe, America, and the world act accordingly, including with further sanctions.”
Donald Trump has warned that he can still end the US-led peace efforts in the Ukraine-Russia war after he spoke to Vladimir Putin.
Mr Trump said there were “some big egos involved.” Without progress, “I’m just going to back away,” he said, repeating a warning that he could abandon the process. “This is not my war.”
“… (I) have a red line in my head on when I’ll stop pushing on Russia-Ukraine,” he said.
The Kremlin has said Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump discussed a new prisoner swap during their 2-hour phone call yesterday.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said the two countries were working out details of an exchange of prisoners jailed in Russia and the United States involving nine people on each side, although he did not say when it might take place.
Mr Trump and Mr Putin are both in favour of meeting in person and will assign their teams to work on preparing a meeting, the Kremlin official said, but no venue has been agreed.
Donald Trump has said “it would be great” for Russia and Ukraine to hold ceasefire talks at the Vatican, saying it would add extra significance to the proceedings.
“The Vatican, as represented by the Pope, has stated that it would be very interested in hosting the negotiations. Let the process begin!” the US president said.
The Vatican has not issued a comment on Mr Trump’s remarks yet.
Volodymyr Zelensky, who has already met Pope Leo XIV twice now and spoken to him on the phone, welcomed the Vatican as a possible venue to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
“Ukraine is ready for direct negotiations with Russia in any format that brings results,” Mr Zelensky said on X. He said that this could be hosted by Turkey, the Vatican or Switzerland.
The Vatican has a tradition of diplomatic neutrality and has long offered its services, and venues, to try to help facilitate talks.
European and US leaders have welcomed Pope Leo XIV’s offer to host Russia-Ukraine talks at the Vatican,
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni said on Monday that European leaders, including Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Friedrich Merz, spoke to US president Donald Trump after he had a call with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
“Work is underway to immediately start negotiations between the parties that can lead to a ceasefire as soon as possible and build the conditions for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine,” Meloni’s office said in a statement.
“In this regard, the Holy Father’s willingness to host the talks at the Vatican was considered positive. Italy is ready to do its part to facilitate contacts and work for peace,” the statement added.
The Kremlin has described more details about Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin’s phone call from yesterday.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov stressed the warm nature of the conversation, saying the two men addressed each other by their first names and Mr Putin congratulated the US president on the birth of his latest grandson.
“Trump said: Vladimir, you can pick up the phone at any time, I will be happy to answer, I will be happy to talk to you,” Mr Ushakov said.
On Monday, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin sat down and spoke for two hours over the phone.
Both leaders said the call was a success, with Putin agreeing to work towards a peace deal with Ukraine.
Here is an overview of the call:
– The call began at around 3:30pm UK time, and lasted for two hours.
– The pair spoke over an encrypted line, Putin from Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi and Trump in Washington.
– Putin said the call was “very informative and helpful”.
– Moscow said it was ready to work with Ukraine on a memorandum about future peace talks, as Trump said negotiations will now begin “immediately”.
– Trump said the call went “very well” and spoke to several world leaders Volodymyr Zelensky, Emmanuel Macron and Giorgia Meloni after he spoke with Putin.
– He also said that ceasefire negotiations could be held by the Vatican.
– They are said to have addressed each other by their first names, and Putin congratulated Trump on the birth of his latest grandson, Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said.
– The pair also discussed a potential US-Russia trade deal, which Trump said was a possibility once the war was over.
– They also discussed a potential new prisoner swap during the call, as Ushakov said the two countries were working out details of an exchange involving nine people on each side.
– After the call, Zelensky said it was possible that leaders from Ukraine, Russia, US, EU and UK leaders could meet.
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