Kremlin says Putin, Trump haven’t excluded option of future meeting

(MENAFN) Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump have not dismissed the idea of a future summit. At a press briefing in Moscow, Peskov referred to recent public comments by Trump, suggesting that while the former US president has paused thoughts on organizing a meeting, he has also expressed that a summit is not entirely ruled out. "Yes, President Trump stated that at present, he has stopped thinking about organizing a summit. However, over the past two days, he repeatedly mentioned that he does not exclude such a summit taking place in the future," Peskov explained.

Peskov emphasized that there are no concrete plans or dates for such a meeting yet, making it premature to claim that anything has been obstructed. "Neither Trump nor Putin wants to waste time—they don't intend to gather merely for the sake of having a meeting," he added. According to the spokesperson, any productive leaders' summit would require thorough preparation at the ministerial level, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio playing pivotal roles.

Turning to the topic of Ukraine, Peskov characterized the current state of negotiations as being in a "prolonged pause." He attributed this impasse to Ukraine's reluctance to push the peace process forward, noting that this hesitation is largely influenced by Ukraine's "European overseers."

Peskov also addressed President Putin's recent comments about delivering a "stunning response" should the US send Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, clarifying that the Russian president's remarks referred to such a strike in general terms, not a specific weapon. He further stated that Russia would respond to the newly imposed Western sanctions in a manner that aligns with its national interests. "Currently, we're analyzing the announced sanctions. Of course, we'll act in ways that best serve our own interests. That remains the primary focus of our actions," he remarked.

Echoing Trump's recent stance, Peskov indicated that Russia would evaluate the effectiveness of the sanctions after a six-month period, offering a longer-term perspective on the impact of the measures. "Indeed, we'll wait and see how things develop in six months. We observe what's happening now, recall events from last year and the year before, and hope to understand the situation better in six months, maybe even a year later," he said.

On the issue of a peace treaty with Japan, Peskov confirmed that Moscow shares Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's desire for such an agreement. However, he noted that dialogue has largely stalled due to "unfriendly steps" taken by previous Japanese administrations.

MENAFN25102025000045017640ID1110245764