MOSCOW/VILNIUS/KYIV – Russia does not rule out the possibility of resuming trilateral negotiations on Ukraine, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Monday.
"As for the resumption of the trilateral format, you heard the statements from Kyiv yesterday. Mr Kushner made such statements. We also do not rule out the resumption of this trilateral format," Peskov said during an official briefing.
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at the Kremlin on Saturday, with the meeting lasting more than three hours. Witkoff and Kushner then met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Sunday.
Peskov described the meeting between Putin and the US envoys as a small step toward peace. "Of course, any attempts are more or less effective -- this is one small step towards peace," he said.
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Peskov did not rule out another conversation between Putin and US President Donald Trump following the US envoys' trip to Kyiv, saying Russia highly appreciates the peacemaking efforts.
Delegations from Ukraine, the United States and Russia previously held two rounds of talks in Abu Dhabi on Jan 23-24 and Feb 4-5, followed by another round in Geneva on Feb 17-18, in an effort to find a path toward ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The trilateral negotiations subsequently stalled and have remained suspended.
Kallas: EU should not give without getting anything in return
Meanwhile, Europe should not give without getting anything in return in any future peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Monday, stressing that any peace settlement would also involve commitments from Europe.
Kallas made the remarks during a visit to Lithuania after Witkoff and Kushner visited to Moscow and Kyiv in renewed diplomacy to end the war.
At a joint press conference with Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius, Kallas was asked whether the weekend talks had brought peace closer and what a possible trilateral summit without an EU seat would mean for Europe's ability to shape the outcome. She said Russia and Ukraine ultimately needed to talk directly to each other.
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"On the European side, it is clear that we cannot be mediators between Russia and Ukraine. They need to talk to each other. We have always been on the side of Ukraine, so we are not neutral in this situation," Kallas said.
She said that any eventual peace agreement would also involve "a lot of asks for Europe," adding that these were not things Europe should give "without getting anything in return."
Mayor: Kyiv to restrict mass events from Sept 10
Also on Monday, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the Ukrainian capital will impose restrictions on mass events starting Thursday amid the current worsening security situation.
All entertainment, physical education and sports activities will be temporarily banned in open areas and buildings without shelters, Klitschko said in a statement.
Earlier in the day, the Kyiv City State Administration said the city was building up reserves of food and drinking water in case of prolonged power outages and other emergencies.
