Kremlin Urges Patience on Trump, Possible Ukraine Talks

The Kremlin said on Friday there had been a lot of inaccurate reports on U.S. plans for ending the Ukraine war and called for patience as speculation swirled around the timing of a possible meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.

At a briefing with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was asked about a report that Trump's envoy for Russia and Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, was seeking to arrange a truce even before talks on a peace settlement.

"We have nothing to add yet. There are a lot of statements and reports on this topic that are refuted, changed, recognized as hoaxes or something else the next day," Peskov said.

"There is nothing substantive on this account yet; we just need to be patient."

Trump and Putin have both said they are keen to meet in person. The agenda, if such a meeting takes place, is expected to focus on Trump's stated aim to bring a swift end to the three-year-old conflict.

"Russia is open to negotiations. In any case, a settlement should come as a result of negotiations," Peskov said.

CNN earlier quoted Peskov as saying there had been no initial contacts between the two leaders about whether such a meeting was needed or where and how it might take place.

Leonid Slutsky, head of the Russian parliament's international affairs committee, was cited by the state RIA news agency on Thursday as saying that preparations for such a meeting were at "an advanced stage" and that it could take place in February or March.

Peskov said on Wednesday that contacts with Trump's team at the level of "individual departments" were intensifying, but declined to provide further details.