Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said they did not consider it right to make economic cooperation between Moscow and Washington conditional on ending the conflict in Ukraine. Peskov said Russia was ready to begin work immediately on mutually beneficial projects.
Speaking at his daily press briefing, Peskov said the United States wanted a resolution in Ukraine first before making progress on economic initiatives. He said Moscow did not view economic projects and efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine as two interdependent processes.
The statement came after Kirill Dmitriyev, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy, visited Washington on Monday. A U.S. official said Dmitriyev held constructive talks on ending the war in Ukraine and on U.S.-Russian energy initiatives during the postwar period.
Dmitriyev also met with representatives of the U.S. Treasury and Energy departments. Peskov said the special envoy had briefed Putin on the results of his meetings in Washington and that dialogue between Moscow and Washington was continuing.
Trade discussed in Putin-Trump call
The Kremlin announced in early September that U.S. President Donald Trump had asked Putin during a phone call to end the war. According to the Kremlin’s statement, Trump said ending the war could create major trade opportunities between the United States and Russia.
Putin, for his part, had extensively assessed the situation on the battlefield and his views on achieving the goals of the war.
Peace condition and negotiating contacts
Putin is making the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the parts of Donetsk region under Ukraine’s control a condition for a peace agreement. Kyiv rejects this demand.
Dmitriyev said in June that he was maintaining contact with U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. These contacts took place during a pause in visits to Russia. Dmitriyev attended all of the negotiators’ meetings, including talks held with Putin in early September.
Peskov also rejected press reports that talks were being held on easing U.S. sanctions in exchange for the release of political prisoners.
