Russia sees ‘no signals’ from Europe on finding common ground on security

ISTANBUL

Russia sees “no signals” from Europe on the issue of finding a common ground with regard to security, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

“So far, no points of contact in future agreements with Europe have been felt … There are absolutely no signals about the desire to look for any points of contact,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists in a briefing.

“Europe is still focused on war, Europe is, so to speak, engaged in such militaristic bravado,” Peskov added.

The remarks came in response to a question on statements made by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who argued Sunday in an interview with French broadcaster LCI that Europe must strengthen itself in the long term and that it must conclude a strategic agreement with Russia.

Peskov said Moscow and Washington are now in constant contact, and that Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump maintain direct contacts and discuss pressing issues when necessary.

“This is what is happening now constantly. This helps us understand each other's positions and move forward,” Peskov said, responding to a question on reports about the possibility of Trump withdrawing from peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

On Monday, an analysis by Foreign Policy magazine argued that Trump could blame both Moscow and Kyiv for “failing to do as he instructs,” withdraw his active involvement in the ongoing peace process, and discontinue Washington’s arms supplies to Ukraine.

Peskov said there was no final understanding between Moscow and Kyiv on the prisoner swap and exchange of bodies agreed upon during the second round of direct peace talks in Istanbul, adding that refrigerated trucks have been standing at the Russia-Ukraine border for "several days" ready to transfer the bodies of Ukrainian servicemen to Kyiv.

On June 2, Istanbul hosted the second round of peace talks after the first one, also in the Turkish metropolis, on May 16. This time, the two sides agreed to exchange more prisoners of war -- focusing on the youngest and most severely wounded -- and return the bodies of 6,000 soldiers from each side.

Both Russia and Ukraine confirmed on Monday that the first round of exchanges under the agreements reached in Istanbul had taken place.