Kremlin: Putin remains open to contacts with Europeans and Ukraine to find a settlement

• Putin remains open to contacts with Europeans and Ukraine in the interest of finding a settlement.
• It has no contacts with Europeans or Ukraine.
• Asked about possible Moskow visit by Trump envoy Witkoff, says it has nothing concrete to say on the subject for now but will say more if and when there is news.
• It remains opposed to idea of deploying European peacekeepers in Ukraine.
• It welcomes US efforts to mediate.
• There are many nuances around a possible settlement that need to be worked out and positions that need to be narrowed.
• When asked about alleged US proposals for a settlement which have appeared in media, says there is a lot of fake news around.
• Settlement scenarios cannot be public and that work on them must be conducted in silence.

This reads like the peace deal has still a long way to go despite Trump saying that it’s near.

This article was written by Giuseppe Dellamotta at www.forexlive.com.