MOSCOW/BRUSSELS/KYIV – Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to holding talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, provided that the meeting is aimed at finalizing concrete agreements, a Kremlin spokesman said on Wednesday.
Dmitry Peskov said the meeting must have a clear objective and be productive, adding that Russia does not see political will from the Ukrainian authorities to resolve the conflict.
The spokesperson also said Russia hopes that visits by US representatives related to a Ukraine settlement will continue.
“We hope that these visits will continue,” Peskov told reporters when asked about potential visits by US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to Russia on Ukraine-related issues.
The exact dates of the visits are still unknown and will be announced as soon as they are decided, Peskov added.
90b-euro loan for Ukraine
On Wednesday, European Union members’ ambassadors approved a 90-billion-euro ($105.6 billion) loan for Ukraine, according to reports citing sources from Cyprus, which currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency.
The ambassadors also reached an agreement on a new round of sanctions against Russia, the reports said.
The final written procedure for the aforementioned measures is expected to be completed on Thursday.
Oil transit via Druzhba pipeline
Ukraine resumed oil transit from Russia to some European countries through the Druzhba pipeline, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.
Oil transit via the pipeline had been suspended since late January after a Russian strike damaged the Ukrainian section of the route, halting Russian oil deliveries to Hungary and Slovakia.
Pumping began at 12:35 pm local time (0935 GMT), an industry source said on condition of anonymity.
On Tuesday, Zelensky said that the repair of the pipeline has been completed.