Afət Ziyadqızı
Russian President Vladimir Putin is in principle open to the idea of holding another meeting with US President Donald Trump. However, the Kremlin does not consider it advisable to organize such a summit without thorough and necessary technical and diplomatic preparations in advance.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov made the remarks while speaking to journalists.
Peskov emphasized that the Russian and US leaders have repeatedly expressed their readiness during phone conversations to continue bilateral contacts whenever necessary. However, according to the Kremlin official, high-level meetings held without preliminary work by experts and delegations cannot produce the expected results and would simply lead to a waste of time.
The spokesperson also addressed the possibility of direct talks between Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Peskov said such a meeting would be possible only at the stage when specific agreements between the parties are finalized and signed. Russia does not consider it acceptable for the leaders to meet merely for discussions without any preliminary drafts or expert-level agreements.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump said in a statement delivered during the UN General Assembly that Putin was ready to negotiate with the aim of ending the conflict in Ukraine.
