Russia says Ukraine talks can resume

Dmitry Peskov said on May 18 that Russia expected peace talks with Ukraine to resume, even as Moscow acknowledged the process was currently paused. The Kremlin spokesman’s remarks came after President Donald Trump said a recent Russian strike on a Kyiv apartment block could set diplomacy back. Moscow’s signal did not point to a new agreement or a date for fresh talks. It showed that both sides are still speaking about negotiations even as fighting continues. Recent diplomacy has produced exchanges and contacts rather than a ceasefire or settlement. A House of Commons Library briefing on the 2025 talks said two rounds of negotiations in Istanbul yielded a prisoner-of-war exchange and a commitment to continue dialogue, but no breakthrough. The latest U.N.-focused reporting says U.S.-brokered contacts have since slowed as Washington’s attention shifted to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran and tensions around the Strait of Hormuz. ### What exactly did the Kremlin say? Dmitry Peskov said the “peace process is on pause” but that Moscow expected it to resume, according to NBC News’ report of the Associated Press account and other coverage citing his remarks. He was responding after Trump said deadly Russian strikes on Ukraine could undermine efforts to reach a settlement. The Kremlin’s formulation left the process nominally alive while acknowledging there was no active momentum. (nbcnews.com) Reuters-reported remarks carried elsewhere on May 9 had already described any peace deal as “a very long way off,” with the Kremlin saying the issues were too complicated and talks were effectively on hold. That earlier language helps explain why Peskov’s latest comment was read as a signal of continuity rather than a restart. ### Why are the talks still described as active if there is no deal? (nbcnews.com) The House of Commons Library said the two 2025 rounds of talks failed to produce a breakthrough but did secure a prisoner exchange and an agreement to keep talking. That has become the clearest measurable output of the process: humanitarian transactions and continued contact. Security Council Report said on May 19 that U.S.-brokered talks remained stalled because the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran and escalation around the Strait of Hormuz had diverted diplomatic attention, though bilateral contacts between Washington and both sides were continuing. (msn.com) That means the negotiating track has not formally collapsed, but it is not moving toward a political settlement in public. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) ### Why is Kyiv talking to António Costa? Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after a May 17 call with European Council President António Costa that Europe must be involved in negotiations on peace for Ukraine and Europe. Ukrinform reported the conversation as part of Kyiv’s effort to discuss the involvement of European countries in future peace talks. The Ukrainian presidency published a similar account of the call. (securitycouncilreport.org) António Costa is not replacing the U.S. channel. The call showed Kyiv trying to widen the format at a time when the U.S.-run track is still the main diplomatic conduit but is moving slowly. That is an inference from the timing of Zelenskyy’s outreach and the separate reporting on stalled U.S.-brokered talks. ### What role is Washington still playing? (ukrinform.net) The United States remains the main outside broker cited in current reporting on the talks. Security Council Report said bilateral contacts between the U.S. and both Russia and Ukraine have continued even while broader talks are stalled. A U.S. statement to the U.N. last month also said the Trump administration remained committed to working with both sides and called on them to negotiate in good faith. (securitycouncilreport.org) The next concrete sign of movement is likely to come through that channel. As of May 19, no new round of Russia-Ukraine talks had been publicly scheduled in the sourced reporting, while Washington, Kyiv and Moscow were still describing contacts as ongoing. (securitycouncilreport.org)