Kremlin Declines To Comment on Trump’s Claim of Ukraine Progress

Overview

• Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters he would leave the remarks without comment, citing no additional specifics on the matter.
• RIA Novosti reported the exchange from Moscow on Nov. 7 after President Donald Trump publicly suggested there had been movement during a reported pause in the conflict.
• Peskov was asked whether the Kremlin shared Trump’s assessment that limited progress had occurred in the pause and that it complicated the situation around Ukraine.
• In the same briefing, Peskov argued that talks are stalled by what he called Kyiv’s unwillingness to pursue a political-diplomatic path and by European encouragement of continued fighting.
• He also cautioned against predicting the timing of a potential Putin–Trump meeting in Budapest, saying extensive expert work would be required first.