The Kremlin on Sunday said it was incorrect to claim that the planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had been canceled, but added that preparations were still underway, according to state television Vesti, Reuters reported.
"Presidents cannot meet for the sake of meeting, they cannot just waste their time, and they are open about that. That's why they instructed (Russian Foreign Minister Sergei) Lavrov and (U.S. Secretary of State Marco) Rubio to prepare this process. The process is complicated," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state TV Kremlin correspondent Pavel Zarubin.
This comes as US President Donald Trump mentioned that he won’t waste time meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin again unless a deal on the war in Ukraine is likely.
"I'm going to have to know that we're going to make a deal," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One after taking off from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, when asked about securing a meeting with Putin. "I'm not going to be wasting my time. I've always had a great relationship with Vladimir Putin, but this has been very disappointing."
Peskov has also menitoned about the sanctions imposed by the US on Russian oil giants Lukoil (LKOH.MM), opens new tab and Rosneft (ROSN.MM), opens new tab, calling them "an unfriendly step", but said that Russia seeks to build friendly relations with all countries, including the U.S.
"Despite the various nuances voiced by the president of the United States, we must still be oriented towards our interests. Our interests are to build good relations with all countries, including the United States," Peskov told Zarubin.
"Of course, the actions that were taken this week were an unfriendly step. They have indeed damaged the prospects for resuscitating our relations. But that does not mean that we should abandon these aspirations. We should do what is favourable to us," Peskov said.
He also said Russia would prosecute anyone found to be involved in the possible confiscation of frozen Russian assets.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday that Russian armed forces would respond forcefully to any strikes deep inside Russia.
"Like (Russian President Vladimir) Putin said, the response will be overwhelming," Peskov told state TV Kremlin correspondent Pavel Zarubin.
Putin said on Thursday that Moscow would never bow to pressure from the United States or any other foreign power, and cautioned that it would deliver an "overwhelming" response to any military strikes deep inside Russia.
(With agency inputs)
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