Peskov reacts to Zelensky's condition on elections and 60 days of silence

Kremlin's position on the negotiation process

Dmitry Peskov, press secretary to Vladimir Putin, the illegitimate president of the aggressor state Russia, spoke on 11 October about the current state of negotiations with Ukraine. According to him, Moscow generally remains open to dialogue and, as he put it, "maintains its openness".

Commenting on possible conditions for resuming contacts, Peskov answered a question on whether holding elections in Ukraine would become a condition for Moscow to resume negotiations. He noted that Vladimir Putin "has not said anything about this yet".

Context: Ukrainian president's proposal

The Russian representative's reaction came against the backdrop of a previous statement by Vladimir Zelensky. The Ukrainian leader announced his readiness to hold presidential elections if Vladimir Putin agreed to a full 60-day ceasefire.

This followed public criticism from US President Donald Trump, who accused Zelensky of prolonging the war. Trump expressed the view that "It's time for Ukraine to get a new president" and that the country needs a "new leader capable of making a deal".

These remarks by the American president were reacted to by Kirill Dmitriev, the negotiator on behalf of Putin, who called Trump's words "landmark and historical".