Russia open to Ukraine peace talks after Trump calls for ceasefire

The war’s toll on Ukraine has been severe, with Zelenskiy confirming that 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and 370,000 wounded.

The Kremlin expressed openness to peace negotiations with Ukraine on December 8, following U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s call for an “immediate ceasefire and negotiations.” According to a report by Reuters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that any talks would need to be based on the agreements made in Istanbul in 2022 and the current situation on the battlefield.

Peskov also noted that Ukraine’s decree banning contacts with Russian leadership must be revoked for talks to proceed. He reiterated Russia’s position, stating that President Putin had already outlined conditions for halting hostilities in a June speech to the Russian Foreign Ministry. According to Peskov, as cited by Reuters, it was Ukraine that had refused and continued to refuse negotiations.

Trump’s comments came after his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Paris, where they held their first face-to-face talks since the U.S. election. Trump, in a post on Truth Social, urged an immediate ceasefire and negotiations to “end the madness.” He also stated that Ukraine had suffered around 400,000 casualties, which he referred to as a mix of both killed and wounded soldiers.

Zelenskiy, however, responded to Trump’s call for peace, saying that effective peace with Russia requires solid guarantees, not just a ceasefire. “Peace is not just a piece of paper,” Zelenskiy wrote on X (formerly Twitter), emphasizing the need for guarantees to prevent the conflict from reigniting. He expressed that Ukrainians desire peace but stressed that any ceasefire without assurances would leave the door open for renewed conflict.

The war’s toll on Ukraine has been severe, with Zelenskiy confirming that 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and 370,000 wounded. While Trump’s comments have sparked discussions, the path to peace remains uncertain, with both sides holding firm on their conditions.