Russia, US have 'mutual understanding' Putin-Trump meeting should take place: Kremlin

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - The Kremlin spokesman said on Wednesday that there is a mutual understanding that a personal meeting between the Russian and US presidents should take place, but no concrete date has been set.

Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Dmitry Peskov emphasized that the meeting must be well-prepared.

"The stage-by-stage implementation of agreements reached by the heads of state and the high-level delegation during the talks in Riyadh is underway. Expert-level contacts are being arranged through the foreign ministries, which will continue the process. This will ultimately lead to preparations for the summit," he said.

Peskov also stated that there are no current plans for another phone conversation between Putin and Trump. However, since the Russia-US dialogue has resumed, another call between the leaders remains a possibility.

On Feb. 12, Putin and Trump held their first phone conversation since Trump took office in January. The leaders discussed issues, including the prisoner exchange, a potential Ukraine settlement, Middle East affairs, Iran’s nuclear program, and bilateral economic relations between Russia and the US.

Asked about the possible deployment of European peacekeepers in Ukraine, Peskov clarified that Moscow has not raised the issue of Chinese troop participation in such a mission.

Regarding a potential US-Ukraine agreement on rare earth metals, Peskov stated that there have been no official announcements so far, but something “substantial” may emerge, following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's reported visit to the US later this week.