It's been three full years since the full-on Russian invasion of Ukraine kicked off on February 24, 2022. At this point, it's become clear to all that Russian forces control the battlefield, amid steady ongoing gains in the Donbass region.
Even as talks with the US progress, Moscow has made clear on Monday that it will only accept a peace settlement which "suits" its interests.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov issued the words while on an official visit to Turkey, and warned that European countries are trying to sabotage Trump efforts at peace.
He he emphasized that Moscow stands ready and willing to negotiate with Ukraine, Europe or "any representatives who in good faith would like to help achieve peace."
"But we will stop hostilities only when these negotiations produce a firm and sustainable result that suits the Russian Federation," he said alongside his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan.
Among the proposals that might stymie progress on negotiations is the possibility of a European army of some 30,000 to patrol a buffer zone inside Ukraine. Moscow has consistently rejected that NATO troops would be present along the war-torn border.
Trump himself has shown interest in such a peacekeeping force, especially as US troops would not be part of it. Put Putin will likely fear this is just recipe for another potential future showdown.
In separate statements Monday, Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday charged Europe with obstructing good faith peace efforts.
"The Europeans continue on the path of a sanctions nosedive, on the path of conviction in the need to continue the war," Peskov said in reaction to the EU imposing a new round of sanctions on Moscow.
"This conviction of the Europeans completely contrasts with the mindset of finding a settlement on Ukraine, which we are now doing with the Americans," he added. Reuters reviews of the new punitive action:
The European Union's latest sanctions against Moscow include a ban on third-country airlines flying to the 27-nation bloc if they carry out domestic flights in Russia, the European Commission said, opens new tab on Monday.
The EU's 16th sanctions package against Russia includes a ban on primary aluminum imports and the sale of gaming consoles, while also listing a cryptocurrency exchange and dozens of vessels of the so-called shadow fleet used to evade sanctions.
At this point both the US and Russian sides plan to continue conducting the talks which began last week in Riyadh. Presumably neither Ukrainian nor European representatives will be at the table for the next rounds.
Each side appeared satisfied with how the first engagement went, with the Kremlin hailing the 'successful' betterment of relations, which has involved more staff returning to each respective embassy.