Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to President Donald Trump’s criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying on Monday that Russia is still “working on” a peace deal with Ukraine but added that it’s a “time-consuming process.”
In remarks to NBC News on Sunday, Trump threatened to impose “secondary tariffs” on Russia if the country fails to come to an agreement to end the “bloodshed in Ukraine.” Trump also said he was “very angry, pissed off, when Putin started getting into [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky’s credibility and started talking about new leadership in Ukraine.” Asked about Trump’s comments, Peskov told Reuters, “We are continuing to work with the American side, first of all to build our bilateral relations, which were badly damaged during the previous (U.S.) administration.”
“And we are also working on the implementation of some ideas related to the Ukrainian settlement. This work is underway, but so far there are no specifics that we could or should tell you about. This is a time-consuming process, probably due to its complexity,” the Kremlin spokesman added.
Trump, who confronted Zelensky in the Oval Office last month, told reporters on Sunday that he is upset with Putin’s apparent refusal to negotiate with the Ukrainian leader.
“I was disappointed in a certain way some of the things that were said over the last day or two having to do with Zelensky,” Trump said. “He considers Zelensky not credible, he’s supposed to be making a deal with him whether you like him, you don’t like him. So I wasn’t happy with that. But I think he’s going to be good.”
The president’s stern message for Putin comes as he has faced some criticism for being too friendly with Russia while taking a harsh approach to Ukraine. In February, Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Zelensky on national television, accusing the Ukrainian president of taking American military support for granted and “gambling with World War III.”
Zelensky was asked to leave the White House following the explosive Oval Office meeting before signing a minerals deal with the United States. The Trump administration later appeared to make progress on the minerals deal with Zelensky, but Trump said on Sunday that the Ukrainian president is “trying to back out” of the deal.
“We made a deal on rare earths, and now he’s saying, ‘well, you know, I want to renegotiate the deal.’ He wants to be a member of NATO. Well, he was never going to be a member of NATO,” Trump said. “He understands that, so, if he’s looking to renegotiate the deal, he’s got big problems.”
Last week, the White House said that it came to separate agreements with Russia and Ukraine for a ceasefire on the Black Sea, along with a ban on either country attacking energy facilities. Both countries, however, have accused each other of violating the ceasefire by conducting strikes on energy infrastructure.
[#item_full_content]
[[{“value”:”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to President Donald Trump’s criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying on Monday that Russia is still “working on” a peace deal with Ukraine but added that it’s a “time-consuming process.”
In remarks to NBC News on Sunday, Trump threatened to impose “secondary tariffs” on Russia if the country fails to come to an agreement to end the “bloodshed in Ukraine.” Trump also said he was “very angry, pissed off, when Putin started getting into [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky’s credibility and started talking about new leadership in Ukraine.” Asked about Trump’s comments, Peskov told Reuters, “We are continuing to work with the American side, first of all to build our bilateral relations, which were badly damaged during the previous (U.S.) administration.”
“And we are also working on the implementation of some ideas related to the Ukrainian settlement. This work is underway, but so far there are no specifics that we could or should tell you about. This is a time-consuming process, probably due to its complexity,” the Kremlin spokesman added.
Trump, who confronted Zelensky in the Oval Office last month, told reporters on Sunday that he is upset with Putin’s apparent refusal to negotiate with the Ukrainian leader.
“I was disappointed in a certain way some of the things that were said over the last day or two having to do with Zelensky,” Trump said. “He considers Zelensky not credible, he’s supposed to be making a deal with him whether you like him, you don’t like him. So I wasn’t happy with that. But I think he’s going to be good.”
The president’s stern message for Putin comes as he has faced some criticism for being too friendly with Russia while taking a harsh approach to Ukraine. In February, Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Zelensky on national television, accusing the Ukrainian president of taking American military support for granted and “gambling with World War III.”
Zelensky was asked to leave the White House following the explosive Oval Office meeting before signing a minerals deal with the United States. The Trump administration later appeared to make progress on the minerals deal with Zelensky, but Trump said on Sunday that the Ukrainian president is “trying to back out” of the deal.
“We made a deal on rare earths, and now he’s saying, ‘well, you know, I want to renegotiate the deal.’ He wants to be a member of NATO. Well, he was never going to be a member of NATO,” Trump said. “He understands that, so, if he’s looking to renegotiate the deal, he’s got big problems.”
Last week, the White House said that it came to separate agreements with Russia and Ukraine for a ceasefire on the Black Sea, along with a ban on either country attacking energy facilities. Both countries, however, have accused each other of violating the ceasefire by conducting strikes on energy infrastructure.
“}]]
