Moscow says it is ready to start immediate negotiations to end the war if it receives a signal from Kiev.

Asked whether Ukraine should take the initiative to start direct talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov replied that the responsibility now lies in Kiev’s hands. “At the very least, Kiev should take some action in this direction,” he said, adding that “so far we see no movement.”

Zelensky, who met US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome the day before yesterday, Saturday, has said Kiev will be ready for talks with Moscow when a ceasefire is in place and the fighting stops.

The Kremlin recalled that the possibility of direct dialogue with the Ukrainian leadership had been raised during a three-hour meeting between Vladimir Putin and Steve Whitcoff last week.

Moscow and Kiev have not held direct talks since March 2022, a few weeks after Russia’s invasion began. Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree later that year ruling out negotiations with Putin, with the U.S. leading separate talks with each side.

Ukraine accuses Russia of buying time to try to take more territory, and has called for more international pressure on Moscow to stop the fighting. Russia accuses Ukraine of being unwilling to make any concessions and of seeking a ceasefire only on its own terms.