Moscow believes that talks between Russia and the United States on security guarantees for Ukraine should be held behind closed doors, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday 27 August.

Moscow believes that talks between Russia and the United States on security guarantees for Ukraine should be held behind closed doors, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday 27 August.

Source: Russian state-owned media; BBC News Russian

Details: Peskov said that the issue of security guarantees is one of the most important aspects of “resolving” the war in Ukraine, but public discussion of the matter is supposedly harmful to achieving results.

“Undoubtedly, this is one of the key issues [security guarantees – ed.] in the context of efforts to find a settlement. It inevitably appears on the agenda of ongoing discussions. But we would not like to discuss this matter in public. We consider it unhelpful for the overall effectiveness,” Peskov said.

The Kremlin spokesman also praised US President Donald Trump for his mediation efforts and noted that the heads of the Russian and Ukrainian negotiating teams “remain in contact”, though no new dates have yet been set for the next round of talks.

Background:

Following a meeting with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska, Trump said he had reached an agreement with him on a territory exchange and that “President Zelenskyy has to agree”.Axios reported that Trump told Ukraine and European leaders that Putin wanted to discuss the terms of ending the war immediately, rather than a pause in hostilities, and Trump considers this preferable.According to Bloomberg, during talks with European leaders and Zelenskyy, Trump said Putin still demands that Ukrainian troops withdraw from all of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts but is prepared to freeze the front lines in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts. Zelenskyy rejected this.On 17 August, Reuters released an outline of Russia’s conditions for ending the war, which Putin presented to Trump during their meeting in Alaska.Trump said Washington would launch an “economic war” against Russia if it avoids negotiations on ending its war against Ukraine.Trump also said that Washington is continuing to supply weapons to NATO allies that are currently providing military assistance to Ukraine.

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