Moscow, Feb 23 (EFE).- The Kremlin on Sunday urged against obstructing Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump from initiating a peace process in Ukraine.
“For us, what is important is that no one prevents the two heads of state from implementing their political will to launch a peaceful resolution process,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with Russian state journalist Pavel Zarubin, which he shared on Telegram.
Peskov described the ongoing dialogue between the two leaders as “very promising,” calling them “extraordinary presidents.”
He praised Trump as an “absolutely unique president” in US history, citing his election victory and control over both chambers of Congress.
Peskov also defended Trump’s recent remarks calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator” and blaming him for the war.
“Zelenskyy has made indecent statements about other heads of state multiple times. Of course, no president can allow that (…) So Trump’s reaction is perfectly understandable,” he said.
Despite Putin’s 25 years in power, Peskov claimed the Russian leader’s popularity remains at 80 percent, citing official polls.
He reiterated Moscow’s willingness to engage in future peace negotiations but stressed that, unlike Zelenskyy, Russia “will never sell” the Ukrainian territories it has annexed since the war began.
Putin and Trump agreed in a Feb. 12 phone call to pursue negotiations to end the war.
The Russian president also welcomed their first direct US-Russia in over three years during a recent meeting in Riyadh, calling it a crucial step toward restoring trust.
While denying Kyiv would be excluded from negotiations, Putin dismissed European involvement as unnecessary. EFE
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