BURSTRussian President Vladimir Putin says he's open to staying in touch with the White House after critical comments from the U.S. president toward Russia's leader, which have been rare amid his efforts to get peace talks rolling.
Putin criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, suggesting he may not be a legitimate leader, and therefore unable to represent Ukraine in peace talks.
Trump said Sunday he was “very angry” and “pissed off” at Putin’s remarks about Zelensky, and threatened to impose new tariffs on Russian oil exports.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov indicated on Monday the remarks would not derail ongoing discussions related to Ukraine.
“We are working to implement some ideas in connection with the Ukrainian settlement. This work is ongoing,” Peskov said, per The Associated Press.
“There is nothing concrete yet that we could and should announce. This is a drawn-out process because of the difficulty of its substance,” he said.
While Peskov didn’t directly address Trump’s criticism, he said the Russian president “remains absolutely open to contacts” with Trump.
Trump has made halting progress in his efforts to move Russia and Ukraine toward a peace deal, but has already scaled back its ambitions around the scope and timeline of a ceasefire.
While both sides have engaged in talks with the U.S., Russia rejected an American proposal for a full 30-day stop in fighting.
Both countries have signaled openness to a partial ceasefire on energy facilities and shipping through the Black Sea, but Zelensky has said Russia has shown no signs of scaling back its attacks on the country.
The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.