Kremlin says no contact yet about Russian, US presidents’ meeting

Biden earlier says he would ‘definitely be ready’ to meet with Putin ‘if there was a serious and real’ readiness on Russian side

MOSCOW

Russia and the US are not negotiating a possibility of a presidential meeting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

“There are no preliminary contacts in this regard. Of course, any conflict ends at the negotiating table, and this has been repeatedly said.

“And of course, first of all, we are talking about the speedy completion of the special military operation by achieving the goals set by the Russian Federation,” Peskov said at a press briefing in Moscow.

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would seek to end the conflict in Ukraine “the sooner the better,” followed by a statement from the White House that US President Joe Biden would “definitely be ready” to meet with Putin “if there was a serious and real” readiness on the Russian side.

According to the spokesman, Russia has progressed in the implementation of one of the goals of its “special military operation,” as a significant progress was achieved in Ukraine’s “demilitarization.”

Commenting on the media reports about discussions between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Biden on the possibility of a peace deal with Russia, Peskov said he knows nothing about it.

“We have heard statements by President Zelenskyy about various steps, .. about the peace plan. But everything that President Zelenskyy has said so far has been said without taking into account the current realities that have already developed today and that cannot be ignored,” Peskov said.

On Dec. 22, the US media citing American and European sources reported that the Ukrainian authorities are working on proposals for a peaceful settlement, which may be presented in February.

According to reports, Ukraine is working on a plan consisting of 10 points.