Zelenskyy aide sees Ukraine nearing deal; Kremlin plays down US talks

Kremlin says Putin envoy's US visit does not mean Ukraine talks have resumed

Ukraine’s top negotiator with Russia said he sees progress toward a potential peace deal with the Kremlin, adding that a resolution to the war may not take long to achieve. 

 

While negotiations to end Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II have publicly yielded few results, Kyrylo Budanov expressed optimism that the talks are evolving toward a settlement. “They all understand the war needs to end. That’s why they are negotiating,” Budanov said in an interview with Bloomberg. “I don’t think it will be long.”

 

However, the Kremlin  said on Friday that a visit to the United States by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special investment envoy did not mean that negotiations on a possible peace deal in Ukraine had resumed.

 

 

Reuters reported on Thursday, citing sources with knowledge of the visit, that Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s envoy, was in the US and meeting members of US President Donald Trump's administration for discussions on a peace deal and US-Russia economic cooperation.

 

“Kirill Dmitriev is not negotiating a settlement in Ukraine, and this is not a resumption of the negotiations,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday when asked about the matter. 

 

Putin announced a 32-hour ceasefire over a two-day period for Orthodox Easter on Sunday. His Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv would abide by the measure. Peskov, who has said that peace talks are  paused due to events in the West Asia, said the ceasefire was humanitarian in nature and that Russia wanted a proper peace deal rather than simply a ceasefire.