Russia encouraged by talks with US, ready to engage further: Kremlin

Moscow: The Kremlin said on Friday that Russia and the United States were making progress in peace talks on Ukraine and that Moscow was ready to continue working with the current U.S. team.

President Vladimir Putin held five hours of talks with two U.S. envoys on Tuesday night, during which he accepted some elements of a U.S.-drafted peace plan but rejected others, according to the Kremlin.

Afterwards, Putin restated Russia's demand for full control of Ukraine's Donbas region, warning that Moscow would seize the territory by force unless Ukrainian troops withdrew.


U.S. President Donald Trump, whose attempts to end the war have yet to produce a breakthrough, described this week's meeting as "reasonably good" but said the path forward remained unclear.

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, who took part in the talks, told the Zvezda news outlet on Friday: "We are, in my opinion, making progress on the main negotiations involving our president. This is encouraging, and we are ready to continue working with this American team."

State news agency RIA quoted Ushakov as saying the Kremlin was awaiting "the reaction of our American colleagues" to Tuesday's discussions.

Ukraine is calling for an immediate ceasefire and accuses Putin of feigning interest in peace while continuing the war. Kyiv also fears Trump and Putin could strike a deal that forces Ukraine to accept deeply unfavourable terms, leaving it exposed to a future Russian attack.

Ukraine wants "real peace, not appeasement" with Russia, its foreign minister said on Thursday.

Russia says it is serious about ending the war, but insists it will achieve its goals by military means if diplomacy fails.