Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during the daily press conference that it is wrong to claim that Vladimir Putin rejected the American plan discussed yesterday between the Russian president and Steve Witkoff.
“The talks were just a first exchange of views,” Peskov said, adding that the Russian president had accepted some proposals and rejected others, in what he described as a natural process of negotiations. “Some of the provisions of the Ukraine plan were accepted during the negotiations between Putin and Vitkov, while others were considered unacceptable. This is an ongoing process,” the Kremlin spokesman said.
According to information, the American side brought to the table four new documents yesterday in relation to the initial plan drawn up by the Trump administration for the end of the war in Ukraine.
Peskov declined to comment further on the talks, explaining that they would be more likely to be productive without public comment. “Russia is ready to meet with American officials as often as necessary in order to find a solution to the war,” he added, adding that Putin and Trump could speak by phone at any time.
"Yes, a telephone conversation is possible at any time. It can be organized quickly," he said characteristically.
At the same time, the Kremlin spokesman condemned today the agreement reached within the European Union to ban imports of Russian natural gas until the fall of 2027, noting that it will condemn Europe to become less competitive and will lead to higher prices for consumers.
"Europe is condemning itself to more expensive energy sources, which will inevitably have consequences for the European economy and a decrease in its competitiveness," Peskov noted during the daily briefing with journalists.
"This will only accelerate the process that began in recent years of the European economy losing its leadership potential," the Kremlin spokesman also said.
This agreement will include a legally binding, phased ban on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and gas imports from Russia via pipelines, with full bans taking effect from the end of 2026 and autumn 2027 respectively.
Russia accounted for 12% of EU gas imports in October, while before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 this figure was 45%.
Source: protothema.gr
