Russian President Vladimir Putin told U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday that Kyiv had undermined the possibility of an immediate resumption of trilateral peace talks by targeting Moscow with drones during last month’s election.
The Diplomatic Fallout Over Moscow Drone Strikes
Efforts by Trump to secure a peace agreement halting the conflict in Ukraine—which began following the Russian invasion in February 2022—have not succeeded thus far.
Kremlin Cites Voting Day Assaults as Obstacle
According to the Kremlin, Moscow had been prepared to resume direct negotiations with Kyiv following last month’s Russian parliamentary elections. However, the timing was derailed when Ukraine launched aerial assaults on the Russian capital and surrounding regions.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov detailed the friction during a briefing on the call with Trump.
"By launching a massive drone attack on Moscow, other cities and polling stations, as well as on specific individuals involved in organizing the election, on the main voting day, the Kyiv regime effectively disrupted the possibility of an immediate resumption of the negotiation process," Ushakov said.
Assessing Future Engagement and Unknown Timelines
Ushakov added that Moscow will now independently evaluate the timing for future diplomatic engagement.
"And now, as the president said, we will consider when those negotiations can be resumed," he said, referring specifically to trilateral negotiations involving the United States, Russia, and Ukraine.
Economic Initiatives and Fuel Market Pressures
Beyond the diplomatic stalemate over the conflict, Putin and Trump used the phone conversation to discuss major economic initiatives, including potential supplies of Russian fuel.
Following their conversation earlier on Friday, Trump stated that Moscow had agreed to provide diesel immediately to the United States and international markets to help reduce energy costs prior to next month’s U.S. midterm elections. Analysts noted, however, that the agreed volumes would likely not reduce prices greatly.
