Putin puts dialogue with Trump back on the table
Since Trump's election in November, the Kremlin has twice signaled its readiness to talk with the United States about the war in Ukraine.
Combination of images of Trump and Putin.
For the second time, the Kremlin is showing itself ready to initiate dialogue with Donald Trump about the situation in Ukraine. The first time Moscow declared itself open to discussion was during Vladimir Putin's last annual press conference.
Now, government spokesman Dimitri Peskov announced that the Kremlin expects to receive "signals" from Washington to start these dialogues. "Putin is ready. We are waiting for signals" from the United States, Peskov stated.
At the press conference, Peskov dismissed Trump's claims that the conflict in Ukraine could end "immediately" if oil prices drop.
"This conflict does not depend on oil prices," Peskov said. The spokesman assured that the conflict is based on "threats to Russia's national security" and "threats to Russians" living in Ukraine, and on "the unwillingness and total refusal of Americans and Europeans to listen to what Russia's concerns are."
Donald Trump announced on Thursday his intention to negotiate with OPEC+ (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries), led by Saudi Arabia, in order to achieve lower oil prices.
Joe Biden was unsuccessful in this objective during a term of office heavily marked by the war in Ukraine and rising costs in the energy sector. During the Biden administration, OPEC production only grew by 1%, slower than in previous years.
Trump's statements affected barrel prices, which fell into the red after starting the day higher.
The price of a barrel of Brent North Sea crude for March delivery fell 0.91% to $78.30 around 4:45 p.m. GMT. Its U.S. equivalent, a barrel of West Texas Intermediate for delivery the same month, dropped 1.07% to $74.65.
Nuclear disarmament discussion
"We are interested in launching the negotiation process as soon as possible," the Kremlin spokesman told reporters. The United States withdrew in 2019 during Trump's first term from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty that limited missiles deployed in Europe and dated back to the Cold War.
The United States then accused Russia of breaching this treaty, which covered medium-range missiles, with ranges between 300 and 5,500 miles, both nuclear and conventional. Russia also disengaged from the agreement, but proposed a moratorium on these missiles, provided that the United States did not increase deployment outside its territory.
Peskov added that negotiations could not be conducted "without taking into account the arsenal power of France and the United Kingdom."
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