Moscow Open to Ukraine Peace Talks, Says Sergei Ryabkov

Moscow (GNP): Russia has signalled it is willing to consider new proposals for settling the conflict in Ukraine, though Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said any such ideas would need to reflect the realities on the ground rather than assumptions about how the war might end.

Ryabkov said Washington had shown readiness for constructive dialogue and a clearer understanding of Moscow’s position, but questioned how much real influence the United States holds over decisions made in Kyiv and among its European backers, whom he described as still hoping for Russia’s strategic defeat.

His remarks come as talks between Moscow and Washington aimed at ending the war have largely stalled, with attention increasingly diverted by the ongoing conflict involving Iran.

Adding to the uncertainty around renewed diplomacy, Russian officials said this week that no information had yet been shared regarding a possible next visit to Moscow by US presidential envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, both of whom have previously led negotiations with the Russian side.

The last significant diplomatic marker came last month, when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington remained committed to helping end the war following a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Manila, while cautioning that no quick resolution was in sight and that both sides were still working to find middle ground.

Responding to that position, Ryabkov said Russia was prepared to listen to Rubio’s proposals and continue engaging with Washington, provided any ideas aligned with the objectives set by the Russian president and accounted for current conditions on the ground.

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More than four years into the war, Russia continues to control roughly a fifth of Ukraine’s internationally recognised territory, and Moscow has consistently maintained that any negotiations must acknowledge what it calls the new realities shaped by the conflict.

Beyond the war itself, Ryabkov indicated Russia remains interested in sustaining a separate track of discussions with Washington on nuclear arms control.

The New START treaty lapsed in February, leaving the world’s two largest nuclear powers without binding limits on their strategic arsenals for the first time in more than fifty years, though Moscow has said it will continue observing the treaty’s missile and warhead limits so long as the United States does the same. Ryabkov said Russia remains open to finding political and diplomatic means of stabilising this area going forward.