After Putin envoy’s US talks, Kremlin says Putin and Trump have no plans to speak by phone

On Friday, the Kremlin announced that there are no plans for a phone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump following the visit of Putin’s investment envoy to Washington, which the Kremlin characterized as a reason for “cautious optimism.” According to NBC News, Trump’s advisors are recommending that he refrain from speaking with Putin until the Russian leader agrees to a complete ceasefire in Ukraine, a commitment Putin has indicated he might consider, but only under a series of specific conditions.

Kirill Dmitriev, the investment envoy, expressed on Thursday that he perceived a “positive dynamic” in U.S.-Russia relations after two days of discussions in Washington, although he acknowledged that further meetings are necessary to resolve existing differences. When asked if a phone call between Putin and Trump was forthcoming, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov informed reporters, “No, there are no plans for the next few days. There is nothing scheduled at this time.” Peskov reiterated that Dmitriev’s visit was a source of “cautious optimism” and supported the idea that Russia might consider discussions regarding security guarantees for Ukraine, although he noted the complexity of the issue.

Since Trump took office in January, there has been a surge of diplomatic activity concerning Ukraine, with Trump promising a swift resolution to the conflict and a renewal of relations with Russia. However, Russia stated this week that it could not accept U.S. proposals on Ukraine “in their current form,” as they fail to address the fundamental issues that Moscow believes are central to the conflict. Although Trump later moderated his stance, he expressed frustration over comments made by Putin regarding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. On Thursday, Trump opted not to impose new tariffs on Russia, which is already under heavy sanctions, but he has mentioned the possibility of sanctioning countries that purchase Russian oil if he perceives that Moscow is obstructing a peace agreement regarding Ukraine.