Moscow said on Friday it regards U.S. President Donald Trump as sincere in efforts to find a diplomatic resolution to the war in Ukraine and will await any fresh proposals Washington may put forward, despite continued American weapons shipments to Kyiv.
Speaking to a state television reporter, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov framed the stance as a balance between diplomacy and military action: "Yes, (fighting) is not the preferred path, but given the absence of prospects for peace, we will see it through to the end, to total victory. Yet, we will wait for new (U.S.) proposals," he said.
Peskov reiterated that while Russia remains open to negotiating, it does not view diplomatic engagement as a substitute for its ongoing military campaign. He emphasized that, in the Kremlin's view, Moscow will continue to apply force until it secures the objectives it has set.
At the same time, Peskov sought to preserve a working diplomatic channel with officials aligned with President Trump and to shift responsibility for stalled talks onto Kyiv and its European backers. "The Americans - President Trump, his negotiators - are sincere in their desire to formulate options acceptable to everyone. The option they proposed was accepted by us but rejected by the Ukrainians," he said.
He added that Washington had been unable to persuade Kyiv, saying: "The Americans could not persuade the Ukrainians... who were being incited by the Europeans." Those remarks underline the Kremlin's stance that while it values U.S. mediation, it views Ukraine's European allies as obstructing progress.
The three-way negotiations involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States last convened in February. That meeting took place shortly before a separate escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, involving the United States and Israel with Iran. The Kremlin has said repeatedly that it hopes U.S. mediation will be able to resume after the Middle East situation eases.
Diplomatic contacts have continued at senior levels. The top U.S. and Russian diplomats held a brief meeting in Asia this week, and Moscow has publicly stated that it is prepared to host envoys from President Trump for discussions in the Russian capital. No date has been announced for any such talks.
Peskov also described the United States' position as ambiguous, noting that Washington is simultaneously talking about wanting to end the war while "continuing to pump Ukraine full of weaponry." He said Moscow intends to use that duality where it aligns with Russian interests, adding: "However, we must leverage this duality in the Trump administration’s position wherever it aligns with our interests. And their desire to facilitate a peaceful settlement is entirely in line with our interests."
Those comments reflect a Kremlin approach that couples readiness to engage with U.S. mediators with a continued commitment to military measures until political objectives are achieved, while assigning blame for failed proposals to Ukraine and its European partners.
Context note: The Kremlin's statements underline both a public willingness to await new U.S. proposals and a parallel insistence on pursuing military goals in the absence of a peace process acceptable to Moscow.