Elena Teslova
20 October 2026•Update: 20 October 2026
The Kremlin hopes US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in the near future, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.
Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Peskov said the Kremlin expects them to brief him on their contacts with Ukrainian and European representatives and continue discussions between Moscow and Washington, among other things.
"We hope that it will be possible to arrange a meeting in the near future. US negotiators, Mr. Witkoff, will be able to inform President Putin about their contacts with both Ukrainians and Europeans, as well as continue exchanging signals between Washington and Moscow on a number of very important issues," he said.
The official added that the Kremlin highly valued the US negotiators’ mediation efforts, describing their meetings with Putin as "important, timely and substantive."
Peskov also promised to inform reporters in due course of the time and location of the next meeting, declining to confirm reports that it would take place in St. Petersburg.
Commenting on US President Donald Trump’s description of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as "not the right person to negotiate," Peskov said Moscow wanted negotiations to be conducted by a legitimate representative who was prepared to take responsibility and make the decisions necessary to end the war.
"We consider it important that this be a legitimate representative of the authorities, ready to take responsibility and make the necessary decision to end this war," he said.
Turning to the humanitarian crisis in the settlement of Oleshky in Ukraine’s Kherson region, Peskov said efforts are underway to resolve it, adding that the issue had been raised during Putin’s conversation with Pope Leo XIV and his most recent telephone conversation with Trump.
Peskov said Putin and Trump had agreed that Russian Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova would be responsible for contacts on the issue.
Asked about the potential impact of US measures targeting sanctioned oil tankers, Peskov said the question should be addressed to the US Department of Energy.
"Russia has been, is and will remain a reliable supplier of energy resources to global energy markets," he stressed.
As for the Arctic, the region should be an area of mutually beneficial cooperation rather than confrontation and remains open to dialogue with other countries, he said.
"Dialogue is needed to ensure this, and Russia is open to such dialogue," he noted.
The official added that Europe was closing itself off from cooperation, pointing out that EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas had repeatedly spoken against dialogue with Russia.
Asked about a possible resumption of dialogue with the US on strategic stability and nuclear disarmament, Peskov said Russia has repeatedly called for a return to talks, warning that the lack of a treaty-based framework in the field was extremely dangerous.
"The world has, for the first time in a long time, been left without that treaty-based framework. This is extremely dangerous," he said.
Peskov argued that negotiations should begin as soon as possible because they would be complex and take considerable time.
"We believe that it is necessary for us to talk to the Americans on this issue," he said.
He added that Russia and the US could not discuss strategic stability and nuclear disarmament without taking into account the nuclear arsenals of European countries, particularly Britain and France.
The New START treaty, the last remaining bilateral agreement limiting Russian and US strategic nuclear arsenals, expired in February 2026, leaving the two countries without its legally binding limits.
