Kremlin Awaits US Response on Potential Putin-Trump Meeting

The Kremlin announced on Monday that it is still waiting for "signals" from the United States regarding a potential meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and newly inaugurated US President Donald Trump. While both leaders expressed their willingness for dialogue last week, no specifics have been outlined about when or how such a meeting might take place.

“So far, we have not received any signals from the Americans. The readiness remains. The same readiness, as we have heard, remains on the American side,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Tensions and Hopes for Resolution
The nearly three-year conflict in Ukraine has driven relations between the two nuclear powers to their lowest point since the Cold War. Trump, who assumed office on January 20, stated on Thursday that he was open to meeting Putin "immediately" to negotiate an end to the war.

Putin, in turn, commended Trump on Friday, describing him as a "smart" and "pragmatic" leader. He also suggested that the conflict might have been avoided had Trump been president in 2022.

Concerns from Kyiv
Ukraine has expressed apprehension about being excluded from any peace talks between the two leaders. Kyiv accused Putin of attempting to "manipulate" Trump, emphasizing the importance of Ukraine's involvement in any negotiations.

As the world watches for developments, the potential meeting could signal a turning point in the fraught relationship between Moscow and Washington and possibly offer a pathway to resolving the Ukraine crisis.