Ukraine-Russia peace talks on 'pause,' Kremlin says
Communication between the Ukrainian and Russian negotiating teams on ending Moscow's all-out war is currently on hold, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Sept. 12.
His statement followed a flurry of diplomatic efforts, during which U.S. President Donald Trump pushed to arrange a face-to-face meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Moscow has repeatedly rejected the ceasefire proposal and continued to put forward its maximalist demands, including that Ukraine give up its occupied territories, which would effectively amount to a surrender.
When asked about the status of talks between the two sides, Peskov replied that communication channels between Ukraine and Russia have been established and exist, but as of now, "it’s more accurate to say there is a pause" in dialogue.
Between May and July, Ukrainian and Russian delegations held three rounds of negotiations in Istanbul after more than three years without formal talks. Despite little progress toward ending hostilities, both sides have managed to negotiate several prisoner exchanges since restarting discussions.
Peskov claimed that Russia is "ready to pursue a path of peaceful dialogue," while accusing Europe of obstructing those efforts.
Following the Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska, Russia continued its mass attacks on Ukraine, targeting civilian infrastructure, including a key government building in Kyiv, during a record-breaking drone and missile strike on Sept. 7.
In a separate attack on Sept. 10, at least 21 Russian drones violated Polish airspace in what Polish officials described as a "deliberately targeted" strike and a provocation.
At the same time, Trump said on Sept. 11 that Russia's drone incursion into Polish territory "could have been a mistake" — an assertion promptly denied by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Kyiv has consistently called for a full ceasefire and expressed willingness to engage in direct talks between Zelensky and Putin, while rejecting Moscow’s demand for the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donbas region.
