Russian President Vladimir Putin recently chaired a meeting with members of the Security Council via video link at the Kremlin in Moscow, as reported by REUTERS.
On Monday, the Kremlin stated that it had not yet made contact with Donald Trump or his team, despite the US president-elect calling for an immediate ceasefire and negotiations between Ukraine and Russia to halt the ongoing conflict. Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine has resulted in tens of thousands of fatalities, displaced millions, and sparked the most significant crisis in relations between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
Trump claimed that Ukraine had lost approximately 400,000 soldiers, while Russia had suffered 600,000 casualties. Although Russia does not publicly disclose its losses, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed and 370,000 wounded.
When asked about any communication with Trump or his team, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded, 'No, there have still been no contacts.' Peskov reiterated the Kremlin's stance, which was outlined in a rare Sunday statement.
The Kremlin expressed openness to negotiations but emphasized that any talks must be based on the agreements reached in Istanbul in 2022 and the current battlefield realities, where Russian forces have been advancing rapidly since the early stages of the conflict. Trump, who has pledged to quickly resolve the conflict, is returning to the White House amid Russia's growing influence. Moscow currently controls a significant portion of Ukraine, roughly the size of the American state of Virginia, and is making significant advances.
Putin has asserted that Ukraine must not join NATO and that Russia should maintain control over four Ukrainian regions currently partially occupied by Russian troops for a peace agreement to be viable. Reuters reported last month that Putin is willing to discuss a ceasefire with Trump but will not make any substantial territorial concessions and demands that Kyiv abandon its NATO aspirations.
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