MOSCOW, October 21. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will consider and assess all the developments and proposals that special envoy of the US leader Steve Witkoff brought to the talks, Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a comment to Vesti.
He also said that a meeting between Putin, American leader Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping is possible, although there is no clear agenda yet.
TASS has compiled the key statements of the Kremlin representative.
The Ukrainian settlement
Trump is open and consistent in his desire to bring the Ukrainian conflict to a peaceful settlement: "We see that President Trump is quite sincere and consistent in his wish to facilitate a peaceful resolution and to set everything on the path toward a peace settlement."
American negotiators Witkoff and Jared Kushner are following Trump's general line aimed at resolving the Ukrainian conflict: "The negotiators pursue this general line."
Putin will study and evaluate all the developments and proposals that Witkoff brought to the talks: "Witkoff brought some ideas -- especially in light of the meetings he held in Oslo with Zelensky and representatives of European countries. Naturally, all these proposals will be reviewed and evaluated by the president. We will see what happens next."
A lot depends on Ukrainians in the peaceful settlement of the conflict, but their situation, including on the ground, is getting worse every day: "A lot, of course, depends on the Ukrainians, including whether they are ready for a peace [settlement]. Trump made it very clear that if they had agreed to a peace settlement a year or two years ago, they could have reached a deal on conditions that would have been more advantageous for them," Peskov noted. "Their position has deteriorated. And the situation on the ground has also worsened, with conditions getting worse by the day."
It is "theoretically possible" to take a significant step forward in the settlement: "It is theoretically possible to make an important step forward."
"Putin is open to seeking ways of achieving a peace settlement."
The possibility of a Putin-Trump-Xi meeting
A meeting between Putin, Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping is possible, but there is no clear agenda yet: "All three sides understand that it would be a good idea to meet. All three sides are hypothetically ready for such a meeting. However, there is no clear agenda right now, so this is something that needs to be worked on."
A meeting between Putin, Trump and Xi Jinping would attract the attention of the whole world: " It is incorrect to use words like ‘new Yalta’ (the 1945 Yalta Conference -- TASS) and so on, but, of course, if the leaders of the US, China and Russia get together, it will be a meeting that attracts the attention of the whole world."
The United States wants to discuss strategic stability and nuclear disarmament at the meeting, but China does not want this, while Russia is ready for both: "You know that the Americans are seeking to discuss nuclear disarmament, something that the Chinese are opposed to. We are ready for either scenario."
There are many questions that could be considered at the meeting: "There are lots of issues apart from that."
Hubbard's release
The United States has raised the issue of the release of its citizen Stephen Hubbard, convicted of participating in hostilities on the Ukrainian side for a while: "This issue has indeed been raised by the US side for quite some time."
Putin released Hubbard based on humanitarian considerations: "As regards that decision, the president made it for humanitarian reasons."
Contacts on prisoner exchanges continue all the time through the special services: "In general, contacts on exchanges, etc., continue on an ongoing basis through the special services."