Moscow is paying very close attention to any statements coming from the US president, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said

Russia takes all statements from US President Donald Trump seriously, but has a vital interest in achieving its goals in the Ukraine conflict, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. His comments followed Trump's remarks that he was "unhappy" about the lack of progress toward peace.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump spoke by phone on Thursday in a call that lasted over an hour, covering the Ukraine conflict, the situation around Iran, broader Middle East tensions, and Russia-US cooperation, according to senior Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov.

Trump later lamented that he had made "no progress" in convincing Putin to end the fighting, while the Kremlin noted the leaders discussed the possibility of new direct talks between Moscow and Kiev.

Commenting on Trump's remarks, Peskov told reporters on Friday that "without a doubt, we pay very close attention to all statements by President Trump." He added that Moscow is "interested in achieving our goals during the special military operation, and preferably by political and diplomatic means."

"However, since that is not possible at this stage, we continue our operation," Peskov stated.

According to Ushakov, Putin told Trump that while Russia is ready for negotiations it will not back down from eliminating "the well-known root causes that led to the current state of affairs." The sides, he added, confirmed their interest in a number of promising projects in economy, notably the energy sector and space exploration.

Despite Trump's disappointment over Ukraine, Ushakov described the call as "candid, business-minded, and concrete."

The US president has positioned himself as a key mediator in the Ukraine conflict. He has held at least six official phone calls with Putin, focusing not only on the hostilities but also on restoring Russia-US ties, which deteriorated to an all-time low during the previous US administration.

In recent months, Russia and Ukraine also held two rounds of talks. Although no breakthroughs were achieved, a series of prisoner exchanges took place. Moscow continues to insist that Ukraine recognize the new territorial reality on the ground, agree to neutral status, demilitarization, and denazification - demands that Kiev has rejected.

(RT.com)