The Kremlin appears negative towards the prospect of an upcoming trilateral meeting between the presidents of Russia, Ukraine and the United States. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to a question about the possibility of such a meeting, noting that it is not likely in the near future.

“The truth is that such a thing is rather unlikely to happen soon. President Putin has repeatedly stated his willingness for summit-level contacts, but he has also stressed that such meetings should arise after agreements have been previously formed at the technical and expert level,” Peskov said. “He supports such contacts, but believes they should be well prepared.”

The statement came in response to a White House statement that US President Donald Trump is open to a trilateral meeting with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.

Peskov also clarified that although a new communication between the Russian president and his US counterpart could be arranged relatively quickly if necessary, there are currently no agreements on this at present. “If necessary, contact can be organized quickly, but at present there are no such agreements,” he told reporters.

The Kremlin spokesman finally noted that Russia and the US maintain open channels of communication, which are still being used. “We have channels of dialogue with the American side and we continue to use them,” Peskov said, asked whether Moscow plans to inform Washington about Russia’s assessment of the negotiations with Ukraine.