ISTANBUL
The Kremlin on Monday claimed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy showed a “lack of diplomatic skills” during a spat with US President Donald Trump at the White House last week.
“Quite an unprecedented event, of course. Zelenskyy demonstrated, in many ways, probably a complete lack of diplomatic skills, at the very least. Not to mention more,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists in Moscow.
Arguing that the spat at the Oval Office “certainly demonstrated how difficult it will be to get on the path of a settlement around Ukraine,” Peskov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is also aware of what transpired during the talks.
Peskov further argued that the spat also proved Putin was right when he said that Moscow’s readiness to hold talks on Ukraine is hampered by the reluctance to do so on the part of Kyiv.
“The Russian side has once again seen that President Putin was right when he said that, despite the Russian side’s openness to the negotiation process, these good intentions are being hampered by the Kyiv regime’s unwillingness to maintain such dynamics,” he said.
A heated exchange took place Friday between Zelenskyy, Trump, and US Vice President JD Vance at the White House.
Trump criticized the Ukrainian leader’s attitude during the exchange, while Zelenskyy expressed his expectation of support for his country.
Ukraine settlement
The Kremlin spokesman separately commented on the situation in Ukraine, saying that any “constructive” support and initiatives on finding a settlement in Ukraine are in demand.
Reacting to the London summit on Ukraine held a day earlier, Peskov expressed that discussions on providing an increased level of funding for Kyiv are not aimed at achieving peace, but rather seek to continue the conflict.
“This is our understanding, and the rest will all depend on what peace plans will be drawn up and what peace plans will be put up for discussion,” Peskov further said.
He argued it is crucial that someone persuades Zelenskyy to sit at the negotiating table, claiming that the Ukrainian president does not want peace.
“If the Europeans can do this, honor and praise to them,” the spokesman went on to say.
He also argued that Zelenskyy’s unwillingness to make any territorial concession should be perceived as an unwillingness to accept the realities on the ground, recalling that the situation has changed since the negotiations held in Istanbul, Türkiye in the early stages of the war.
Russia-Türkiye ties
On relations between Russia and Türkiye, Peskov said that the bilateral ties between the two countries are “very diverse” and continue to develop.
“There is an intensive dialogue, only last week there were contacts at the level of foreign ministers. Our chairwoman of the Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko paid an official visit to Ankara,” he said.
Peskov further said that there is no need to talk about a “deficit” of high-level contacts between Russia and Türkiye, arguing there is dialogue at both the working and expert levels.
“This dialogue has not stopped and will not stop,” the spokesman added.
