Kremlin Shrugs Off Trump’s Harsh Talk, Pursues US Dialogue

The Kremlin said on Wednesday it remains "calm" about U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent criticism of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, including remarks that Putin was talking “a lot of bullshit” about Ukraine peace talks. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Moscow intends to keep working to repair what he called a "broken" U.S.–Russia relationship despite the sharper rhetoric coming from Washington. Peskov added that Trump’s admission this week that resolving the Ukraine war is proving harder than expected “only confirms the complexity of the issue,” echoing Moscow’s longstanding position that the conflict cannot be settled overnight. The spokesman said the Kremlin still expects dialogue with Washington to continue. Trump on Tuesday said he had approved the shipment of additional U.S. defensive weapons to Kyiv and was considering further sanctions on Russia, underscoring his frustration with Moscow’s stance. The U.S. president had campaigned on ending the war swiftly but his administration’s efforts to broker peace have stalled, and the Kremlin’s comments suggest little movement in the underlying negotiations.