After US President-elect Donald Trump called for an “immediate ceasefire” in Ukraine, the Kremlin said Russia is “open to negotiations” and welcomed peace initiatives particularly those initiated by Global South nations and BRICS partners.
Sharing a post on X on Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affair of Russia quoted Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov and wrote, “We have carefully read the statement by US President-elect Donald Trump, made after his meeting with Macron and Zelensky in Paris. Russia is open to negotiations on Ukraine and welcomes peace initiatives. The conditions required to cease the hostilities were laid out by President Putin.”
Notably, Trump on December 7 met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris during the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral, which was severely damaged in the devastating 2019 fire.
After the meeting, Trump in a post on his Truth Social platform, said, “There should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin. Too many lives are being needlessly wasted, too many families destroyed.”
The Kremlin statement further stressed that President Putin has repeatedly said Russia was open to negotiations on Ukraine and welcomed peace initiatives, “primarily those coming from countries of the Global South, as well as our BRICS partners, including China, Brazil, and South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, which are engaged in work on the humanitarian track.”
Peskov also highlighted Ukraine’s “rejection” of negotiations, accusing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of blocking dialogue with Moscow through a decree.