On February 5, Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, said that Russia and the administration of US President Donald Trump are conducting "positive activities to restore Russia-US relations in the economic field" through a specialized working group, while affirming that contacts "are taking place in a positive direction".
When asked if there has been any progress towards a peace agreement, Mr. Dmitriev emphasized what he called European efforts to undermine the diplomatic path.
Hostile politicians from Europe are constantly trying to hinder this process, constantly intervening in it. And the more such efforts appear, the clearer we see that there is definitely progress and positive steps forward," Mr. Dmitriev said.
At the trilateral talks, the Russian delegation was led by Admiral Igor Kostyukov, Director of the Russian Military Intelligence Service, while the US side had the participation of special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
The Ukrainian delegation includes Mr. Rustem Umerov, an official in charge of national security, and Mr. Kirill Budanov, head of the Office of President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Both Russia and the US admit that territorial disputes remain the biggest bottleneck in negotiations, in the context that Ukraine refuses to consider any concessions, especially related to the Donbass region.
The region, along with the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia provinces, overwhelmingly voted in favor of joining Russia in the 2022 referendums.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that despite the ongoing negotiations, Mr. Zelensky does not seem enthusiastic about peace. According to Mr. Lavrov, any agreement requiring Kiev to compromise could mean the end of the political career of the Ukrainian leader.
