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Translated by: Flutura Gashi-Mehmeti
- 15 January 2026 12:26
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The Kremlin said Thursday that Russia agrees with US President Donald Trump that it is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, not Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is obstructing a possible peace deal to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump's assessment, made in an interview with Reuters, contradicts the stance of European allies, who have consistently argued that Moscow has little interest in ending the fighting and aims to take as much territory as possible while trying to avoid further Western sanctions.
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Letter to the Reader — Why We're Asking for Your Support Contribute"I think he's ready to make a deal," Trump said of Putin during a conversation with Reuters in the Oval Office on Wednesday.
"I think Ukraine is less willing to make a deal," he added.
Asked why US-led negotiations have yet to resolve Europe's largest land conflict since World War II, Trump replied: "Zelensky."
"I agree, this is indeed the case. President Putin and the Russian side remain open (to talks).
"The Russian position is well known. It is known to American negotiators, to President Trump and to the leadership of the regime in Kiev," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.
Russia controls about a fifth of Ukraine, including the Crimean Peninsula, which it annexed in 2014. Moscow wants Kiev to withdraw its troops from parts of the Donetsk region that Russia does not control but has declared as its own territory.
Ukraine, which has rejected the idea of handing over territory to Moscow, wants the fighting to stop along the current front lines. The US has proposed the creation of a free economic zone if Ukraine withdraws its troops.
US-led negotiations have focused in recent weeks on security guarantees for a post-war Ukraine, following a possible peace deal, although some European officials have warned that Putin is unlikely to accept some of these conditions.
The talks have been further hampered after Russia accused Ukraine last month of attempting to attack a Putin residence, a claim Kiev has called a lie.