The Kremlin said on Friday that a summit between President Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump could take place within two weeks or a little later, but that there was much to be agreed before a date could be set.
Trump and Putin agreed on Thursday to hold a second summit on the war in Ukraine, tentatively scheduled in Budapest, after an Aug. 15 meeting in Alaska that produced no progress.
The surprising announcement came ahead of a meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and at a time when Washington is considering supplying Kiev with Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will have to mutually arrange a meeting to resolve a number of issues ahead of the summit.
– There are many issues, negotiation teams need to be determined and so on. Therefore, everything will be done in stages, but, of course, the will of the president is there – said Peskov.
– (The summit meeting) could indeed take place within two weeks or a little later. There is a general understanding that nothing should be postponed – he said.
Peskov stressed that Russia remains open to a peaceful solution to end the war in Ukraine.
Russia accuses Kiev and its European allies of stalling peace talks. They, in turn, accuse her of making unacceptable demands and said they do not believe Putin is serious about achieving peace.
The Kremlin said separately that Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban spoke by phone on Friday about the upcoming summit, and that Orban said that Hungary is ready to host the event, reports Reuters.
(Vijesti.ba / FENA)
