Russia Expects US-Led Ukraine Peace Talks to Restart Amid Efforts for Settlement
Renewed Hopes for Diplomatic Progress in Ukraine Conflict
MOSCOW, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Russia hopes that U.S.-mediated peace talks on ending the war in Ukraine will resume soon, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.
Background of the Stalled Peace Talks
No such talks between Russia and Ukraine have taken place since February, but President Donald Trump sent his negotiators to Moscow and then Kyiv at the weekend in a bid to relaunch the stalled process.
US Involvement and Diplomatic Efforts
Peskov was responding to a comment by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that it may be possible to draw up a roadmap to restart talks and work towards an acceptable outcome for both sides.
Key Obstacles to a Settlement
A huge gulf remains between Russia and Ukraine on how to end the 4-1/2-year war, with Kyiv rejecting Moscow's demands that it give up more territory.
Kremlin's Position on Negotiations
Peskov said Moscow would not publicly discuss any specifics of a potential settlement, but there was a "confirmed political will" to resume talks.
"We hope that these negotiations will resume in the foreseeable future, and we remain in contact with our American counterparts," he said, a day after Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone.
Prisoner Exchanges as a Diplomatic Tool
Peskov added that the issue of exchanging prisoners between Russia and the U.S. was "a constant item on the agenda", including between the two presidents. He noted that Russia had released one American prisoner, Robert Gilman, at Trump's request last month.
The two countries have traded prisoners at several points in the past few years.
Notable Recent Prisoner Swaps
The biggest such deal was in August 2024, when Russia got back eight prisoners held in the West, including a member of its FSB security service convicted of murder in Germany.
In exchange, 16 people were released from Russian and Belarusian jails. Among those freed by Moscow were prominent Russian dissidents and three U.S. citizens, including Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich.
Reporting and Editorial Credits
(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov; Writing by Gleb Stolyarov; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Gareth Jones)
