The Kremlin on Monday described the recent talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the special envoy of the United States (U.S.) President, Steve Witkoff, as “extremely useful.”
Putin and Witkoff met on Friday in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg, while the U.S. and Russia continue contacts to revive bilateral relations, as well as to find a solution to the war in Ukraine.
Normalization of relations
“Such contacts are extremely useful and very effective,” said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov to reporters in Moscow.
Peskov said the contacts were effective due to the establishment of a “very popular” communication line between Moscow and Washington.
He said this helps both sides to obtain first-hand information, confirming that immediate results should not be expected due to discussions revolving around “very complex” issues.
He denied any talks about preparations for a meeting between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump.
“It would be hard to expect any other decision, especially since these are fairly automatic actions. We are at the beginning of our path to normalize relations, to practically rebuild them from scratch, so we have no expectations in that regard,” Peskov added.
Last week, Trump signed an executive order extending the sanctions on Russia introduced in April 2021, during the term of former U.S. President Joe Biden, for another year.
Merz’s Statements
Peskov also commented on Europe’s stance on resolving the conflict in Ukraine, accusing European Union (EU) countries of being prone to “further provoking the continuation of the war.”
The spokesperson further singled out remarks by the future German chancellor Friedrich Merz the day before, claiming that he supports the idea of further escalation of the conflict that has lasted more than three years.
During an interview on Sunday, Merz spoke in favor of supplying Ukraine with long-range Taurus missiles.
Germany strongly opposed sending Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine during the term of outgoing chancellor Olaf Scholz, fearing that such an action could directly draw Berlin into the conflict.
