Russia agrees with Trump's assessment that peace in Ukraine 'much closer': Kremlin

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Moscow agrees with US President Donald Trump's assessment that peace in Ukraine has become much closer and reached the final stages.

Asked at a press briefing in Moscow whether Russia agrees with Trump that Moscow and Kyiv are closer to a peace deal and talks are in the final stages, Peskov said: "Of course."

However, Peskov did not specify which version of the peace plan is currently being agreed upon.

"For now, we do not consider it necessary to provide details," he said.

Trump said Sunday that significant progress was made toward ending the Russia-Ukraine war following his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Before the meeting, the US president called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, and they agreed to speak again soon.

The Kremlin spokesman said Moscow will be able to fully assess the Trump-Zelenskyy talks after receiving information from the US.

According to him, Putin and Trump did not discuss the issue of a Christmas ceasefire in Ukraine, and the territorial issue remains the most difficult; Kyiv's decision on Donbas is necessary to stop the fighting.

Peskov declined to reply to a question about whether Russia still demands that Ukraine withdraw its troops from the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.

He also said that Putin and Trump are expected to talk over the phone in the near future, while no contacts are planned between Putin and Zelenskyy.