Kremlin admits stalemate as source says talks set

MOSCOW/WASHINGTON/KYIV — Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying on Thursday that Russia agreed with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Ukraine conflict was in a stalemate, as US, Ukrainian and European officials were expected to discuss "new ideas" to end the conflict.

Earlier on Thursday, Rubio said the conflict was at a dangerous stalemate. United States President Donald Trump this week said he planned to talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone soon.

"Yes, we agree with him," Russian news agencies quoted Peskov as saying on the sidelines of a meeting in Turkmenistan.

State news agency RIA quoted Peskov as saying it was up to diplomats to find ways of moving toward peace.

"The art of diplomacy precisely involves finding some way out that would allow moving onto a peaceful track," Peskov was quoted as saying.

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were due to meet Ukrainian representatives on Friday in Miami to discuss new ideas and try to produce a unified proposal for resolving the conflict, a US source familiar with the plan told Reuters on Thursday.

Peskov was quoted as saying he saw no immediate prospect for a three-way summit between Putin, Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

He restated the Kremlin's position that Russia wanted an overall solution to the conflict and was not interested in temporary measures, like a limited ceasefire.

"We are not for a fragmented solution, we are for a comprehensive solution that will allow for sustainable settlement for many, many years, for decades," the agencies quoted him as saying.

The source said Witkoff and Kushner would hold a working session with the Ukrainians to discuss "new ideas and proposals that American negotiators began developing with the Russians and Ukrainians during their recent visit to the region".

The US negotiators also invited national security advisers from the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, as well as officials from NATO and the European Union.

The source said the Europeans had told the United States about their frustration with high energy costs and other major financial impacts of the conflict.

In the latest developments on the battlefield, Zelensky accused the US of being unwilling to help Ukraine after a Russian bomb attack on Thursday killed at least 35 people in the east, according to Reuters.

Speaking to reporters in Pryluky, the Ukrainian leader urged the US to accede to his requests to expand Ukraine's access to the Starlink satellite service to help it target Russian ballistic missile launchers.

Meanwhile, Russian technology and AI company Yandex said on Friday that several modules at its data center in Russia's Kaluga region had been completely disabled by a drone attack, the second in two days.

Some of the company's services may be disrupted, Yandex said, adding that no one was injured in the attack southwest of Moscow.

In Belgorod, two people were killed in Ukrainian drone strikes on Thursday, regional officials said. The regional operational headquarters reported one person died when a drone struck a car.

A later evening strike killed one person and injured three.

AGENCIES VIA XINHUA