Duma sees three positive signals in Trump's statements on Ukraine

The statements and actions of US President Donald Trump regarding the settlement of the issue in Ukraine are favorable for the Russian side. This was stated by the first deputy chairman of the State Duma's Foreign Affairs Committee, Aleksey Chepa, on Monday, February 3. He named three positive signals for Moscow from the US leader's administration.

On the eve, Trump said that the US has planned contacts with Russia and Ukraine, RT reported.

He noted that the good thing is that the Trump administration is talking a lot about the need for the upcoming talks.

"The fact that they have realized that such negotiations cannot be solved in one day or some very short time is also good. That the Trump administration is raising the need for elections in Ukraine - that's also a good thing, because they realize the need for a legitimate signatory from Ukraine. All this will probably be part of the overall package of preparation for these negotiations," Chepa said in a conversation with Lenta.Ru.

The MP added that some time is needed for thorough preparation of the negotiation process, which cannot simply consist of a ceasefire or exchange of prisoners.

"This agreement should not be cosmetic, it must guarantee the security of Russia and Europe," the MP emphasized.

Road to Trump: US president prepares for first international talks

The U.S. leader's interlocutors will remain traditional

Earlier, on February 1, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose term of office expired on May 20, 2024, said that he expects the start of negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian conflict with the participation of Moscow, Kiev, Washington and Brussels, reports NSN. According to him, after talking to Trump, Kiev should move to some format of conversation with the Russian Federation. As Zelensky noted, at the moment the consultations with the administration of the American leader are of a general nature.

On the same day, Reuters reported that the Trump administration has for several days continued to discuss ways to convince Ukraine to hold presidential elections in the country as part of a truce with Russian Federation so that the country's newly elected leader would take on the responsibility of agreeing a long-term deal with Russian Federation, according to the website kp.ru.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly reminded that Russian Federation has never given up on peace talks, but they should be conducted on the basis of provisions agreed in Istanbul, not on the basis of"ephemeral demands."

The last round of talks between Russia and Ukraine took place in Istanbul on March 29, 2022. They lasted about three hours. Later, Kiev officially refused contacts with Moscow. On October 4, 2022, the Ukrainian president put into effect the decision of the country's National Security and Defense Council on the impossibility of holding talks with Putin.