Kremlin says Russia-Ukraine negotiations are on 'pause'

Bloomberg News on Sep 12, 2025

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Russia said negotiations with Ukraine are on “pause,” less than a month after the summit meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump that the U.S. said would spur talks on a peace deal.

“Communication channels exist, they are established, our negotiators have the opportunity to communicate through these channels, but for now, perhaps, we can talk about a pause,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Friday, without elaborating.

At their Aug. 15 summit in Alaska, Trump abandoned demands for Russia to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine to allow for negotiations on a peace deal, saying instead that the U.S. wanted to focus directly on a settlement to end the war. He called the discussions with Putin “extremely productive,” while the Russian leader said they’d reached an “understanding” that may open the door to ending the war he’d started in 2022.

Since then, Russia has intensified missile and drone attacks on Ukraine including massive strikes on Kyiv. Trump has held back from any sanctions on Russia, while U.S. officials have indicated that Putin is seeking to occupy more Ukrainian territory as part of any peace deal.

Russian and Ukrainian negotiating teams have met three times in Istanbul since May. While they have reached agreements on exchanges of prisoners, there has been little sign of progress on a peace deal.

“One can’t wear rose-colored glasses and expect the negotiation process to produce instant results,” Peskov said Friday.