Communications between Russian and Ukrainian negotiating teams are currently on hold, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday.
At a Moscow briefing, Peskov confirmed that while the channels remain open and operational, they are not being actively used, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
“The communication channels are there, they are functioning. Our negotiators have an opportunity to communicate through these channels, but for now it is probably more accurate to speak about a pause,” he said.
The pause follows three rounds of talks hosted in Istanbul, Türkiye since May, which led to agreements on “thousand-for-thousand” prisoner swaps and the repatriation of soldiers’ bodies. The latest round expanded discussions to civilians and included proposals for joint working groups and short humanitarian ceasefires.
Peskov stressed that Russia remains ready for dialogue but accused Europe of obstructing the process.
“The Russian side continues to be ready to pursue peaceful dialogue and seek ways to resolve the conflict. However, it is true that Europeans are hindering this effort. This is no secret,” he said.
He added that negotiations cannot produce instant results, referencing U.S. President Donald Trump’s earlier optimism about a rapid resolution.
On European reactions to the ongoing Russian-Belarusian Zapad-2025 military exercises, Peskov described them as “emotionally charged.”
“Under normal conditions of constructive, peaceful, and friendly coexistence, representatives of neighboring countries always had the possibility to observe such drills. Now, given Western Europe’s hostile stance, this naturally leads to emotional overloads,” he said.
Peskov insisted that Russia has never threatened European states, while accusing NATO of persistently moving closer to Russian borders.
“It is precisely Europe, being part of NATO, which serves as a tool of confrontation rather than peace and stability, that has consistently moved closer to our borders,” he added.
