Russian officials meet US counterparts as Moscow denies aid to Iran: Russia-Ukraine war news
A Kremlin spokesman says the talks are part of an ‘essential dialogue’ with Washington as the war in Ukraine continues into its fifth year.
Published on 2
A delegation of Russian officials has arrived in the United States for meetings with their American counterparts.
The visit, which began on Thursday, is the first such visit to Ukraine since Moscow strained relations due to the war.
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“We hope that these first temporary steps will, of course, contribute to the revival of our bilateral relations,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
He stated that President Vladimir Putin had outlined the “main directions” for the visit and that he would receive a “full briefing” at the meeting.
This visit is taking place at a time when US-brokered talks seeking an agreement to end the war in Ukraine are currently stalled.
Several rounds of talks have failed to break the deadlock since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House last year, with the Kremlin refusing to compromise to halt its years-long offensive.
Russia, a close ally of Iran, has also been cited by Western intelligence officials as one of the supporters of the Iranian government as Tehran fights a war started by the US and Israel.
A report on Wednesday in the United Kingdom-based Financial Times newspaper alleged that Russia is close to completing a shipment of drones to Iran.
Peskov responded to questions about the report, saying, “The media is spreading a lot of lies… don’t pay attention to them.”
Russia this week carried out one of the largest air strikes on Ukraine since the war began, launching 948 drones in 24 hours as it sent troops and equipment to the front lines.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a new appeal for allies to supply air defence weapons to Kyiv, warning that Kyiv, which relies on the US for air defence systems against ballistic missiles, would face a shortage of missiles while Washington focuses on the US-Israeli war over Iran.
Talks between Ukraine and the United States that began in the US state of Florida on Saturday once again failed to produce the security guarantees that Kyiv has long been demanding from Washington.
