Putin tells Trump peace talks are unlikely, cites Ukraine drone attacks

What the report says

Russian President Vladimir Putin told US President Donald Trump in a phone call on Friday that an immediate restart of peace talks over Ukraine is unlikely, according to Al Jazeera’s report based on Reuters. The Kremlin said the main reason was a drone attack on Moscow and other locations during parliamentary elections last month, which it described as disrupting the chance to quickly resume negotiations.

The report says Putin had signaled Russia was ready to return to talks with Kyiv after the elections, but Moscow now sees trilateral discussions involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States as difficult to revive soon. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said the attack affected the timing and that officials would assess when talks could resume. The article also notes that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the war as a dangerous stalemate and said Washington would keep seeking a settlement.

Al Jazeera also reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier in the week that Ukraine was prepared for trilateral talks this month. Separately, Trump announced after the call that Russia had agreed to deliver more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel to American and global markets, a move criticized by US lawmakers, Kyiv and European allies. The developments come as diplomacy around the war remains stalled while military pressure continues.