Russian President Vladimir Putin's foreign policy aide has spoken to members of the US administration after Moscow received US proposals about a possible Ukrainian peace deal, the Kremlin said.
Kremlin foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, spoke by telephone to several members of the administration of US President Donald Trump, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Friday. He did not say when the call took place.
Putin envoy Kirill Dmitriev brought paper copies of US proposals for peace back to Moscow after a meeting in Miami at the weekend, and the details were being analysed by the Kremlin, Peskov said.
"The information was analysed, and on behalf of President Putin, contact took place between representatives of the administrations of Russia and the United States," Peskov said. "It was agreed to continue the dialogue."
When asked how the Kremlin viewed the documents, Peskov said that he did not want to comment as Russia felt making remarks in public could undermine the negotiations.
Russia's Kommersant newspaper reported that Putin told some of Russia's top businessmen that he might be open to swapping some territory controlled by Russian forces in Ukraine but that he wanted the whole of Donbass.
Asked about the report, Peskov said that the Ukrainian peace discussions were touched upon "in general" and mentioned at the meeting. He gave no further details on the details of what was discussed.
Zelenskyy to meet Trump
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that he would soon meet Trump on Sunday as part of efforts to end the war with Russia.
“A lot can be decided before the New Year,” Zelenskyy said on social media.
His comments followed a new round of negotiations between US and Ukrainian teams that produced a 20-point plan to end the war, which has been sent to Moscow for feedback.
The plan would freeze the frontline and remove a requirement for Kiev to legally renounce its bid to join NATO, Zelenskyy said in a briefing on Wednesday. He also indicated it could eventually involve pulling Ukrainian troops back in the eastern Donetsk region and establishing a demilitarised zone.
Moscow has so far shown little indication it would soften its demands that Ukraine fully withdraw from the Donbas, abandon its NATO ambitions, and accept a ban on Western peacekeeping forces in the country.
