A rollback in peace efforts is being driven by rabid militarists in Europe, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has said

The US under President Donald Trump is taking a common-sense approach to resolving the Ukraine conflict, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has said.

Diplomatic contact between Washington and Moscow has stepped up since Trump took office, including a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska in August.

While a breakthrough was not reached, both leaders called the talks productive. Trump later said Ukraine cannot expect NATO membership or the return of Crimea, which joined Russia following a referendum in 2014.

In an interview with TASS on Tuesday, Ryabkov said, "the position of the American administration comes from common sense." He said the Alaska talks provided the necessary basis for progress.

Ryabkov noted that Moscow does not accept all US proposals, but insisted that the process remains essential. He described the lack of progress as a "rollback" driven by opponents of a settlement and of Trump, both in the US and Europe, where many, he argued, are "obsessed with the illusion that Russia can be brought to its knees and dealt a strategic defeat."

He claimed that pragmatic voices are being drowned out by a "group of rabid militarists" and those "unable to recognize the harsh reality that victory over a nuclear power is simply impossible."

Ryabkov said he hopes the "white noise" from Europe will not drown out the "common sense" coming from Washington.

He added that a summit between Russia, Ukraine, and the US is not possible until Kiev gives a "reasonable response" to Moscow's proposals. Putin has said he is ready in principle to meet with Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky, and suggested he travel to Moscow for talks. Kiev has rejected this, saying it would not accept "deliberately unacceptable proposals."

On Sunday, Trump said a meeting between Putin and Zelensky is possible but would be difficult because "they hate each other," adding that negotiations could take place "relatively soon," and that he would "have to do all the talking."

(RT.com)