Russia preparing delegation for US talks on war with Ukraine, consider Minsk 'experience', Kremlin says
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include additional comments from Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
Russia has started forming a group for talks with the United States, including on the war with Ukraine, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian media on Feb. 13.
He said Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed during telephone talks to instruct aides to prepare for a face-to-face meeting immediately.
Peskov noted that Moscow will consider the Minsk agreement's experience in future negotiations.
"Of course, the experience of the Minsk agreements is very eloquent, and we will always take this experience into account in all further steps," he said.
The Minsk agreements, signed in 2014 and 2015 after Russian military offensives in Ukraine's Donbas, failed to bring lasting peace.
Moscow violated the terms, using them as leverage to push for greater autonomy for Russian-occupied territories while maintaining its influence over Ukraine.
Peskov also said Russia has yet to determine which countries might participate in potential talks and confirmed no contact with European nations on the matter.
"There is no understanding yet of the format of a possible dialogue or negotiation process," he said.
On Feb. 12, Trump held separate phone calls with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin, later claiming that both leaders "want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine."
Zelensky and Trump agreed to begin working toward ending the war, according to Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine's Presidential Office.
Trump later announced that he would meet with Putin in Saudi Arabia as part of efforts to negotiate an end to the war. It remains unclear to what extent Ukraine will be involved in these discussions.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
