By Balikis Ajoyo
Russia says it remains open to renewed three-way negotiations with the United States and Ukraine aimed at ending the war, following a fresh diplomatic push by US envoys in Moscow and Kyiv.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Moscow did not rule out resuming trilateral talks, although he said it was too early to determine a venue or specific dates.
The development followed meetings by US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over the weekend.
The meetings formed part of renewed US led diplomatic efforts to find a negotiated end to the conflict, which has continued for more than four years.
A senior Ukrainian presidential source told AFP that the US envoys had presented what Kyiv considered more effective proposals for ending the war.
However, neither Moscow nor Kyiv announced a breakthrough following the meetings.
Previous US-mediated negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian representatives were held in Geneva in February but failed to resolve the major dispute over territory.
The issue of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region remains one of the biggest obstacles to a peace agreement.
Russia does not fully control the region but has demanded that Ukrainian territory it claims be recognised as part of any eventual peace settlement.
The latest diplomatic efforts come amid a broader shift in US foreign-policy priorities, with Washington also focusing heavily on the conflict with Iran.
The war has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths among soldiers and civilians and continues to pose a major security challenge in Europe.
While Russia’s latest position signals a possible return to direct trilateral negotiations, significant disagreements over territory and the terms of a potential settlement remain unresolved.