The Kremlin said on Wednesday evening a call between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump could be arranged “immediately”, if needed. Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters while answering a question on the current status of high-level Russian-US contacts: “It’s possible, if necessary, to immediately arrange a telephone conversation between the two leaders.”
However, Mr Peskov suggested, a summit between the two leaders is not yet on the horizon. He said: “But right now, the work that must precede the summit hasn’t been done.” This comes weeks after an in-person summit between Putin and Mr Trump was scrapped by Washington.
The Russian despot and the US President were meant to meet in Budapest in the autumn to discuss ways to end Moscow’s unprovoked and illegal war on Ukraine.
However, sources familiar with the matter claimed in late October that the US cancelled the summit after the Russian Foreign Ministry sent Washington a memo repeating the Kremlin’s hardline conditions to end the conflict – which include reducing Ukraine’s armed forces, bar Kyiv from joining NATO and legally annexing some of its territory.
Mr Peskov’s update on arranging a call between the country leaders comes amid major tensions between Russia and the UK.
Earlier on Wednesday, Britain Defence Secretary John Healey said a Russian spy ship used lasers to disrupt RAF pilots tracking its activity near UK waters.
Slamming Yantar’s activity as “deeply dangerous”, Mr Healey added it was being taken “extremely seriously” by the Government.
The vessel, he added, was located north of Scotland this morning and had entered UK waters for the second time this year during the last few weeks.
The Russian Embassy in Britain dismissed the claims, saying in a statement: “We have noticed the latest provocative statements made by the head of the British defence department, John Healey. This time, the reason was the activities of the Russian oceanographic research vessel ‘Yantar’ in international waters.
“The endless accusations and suspicions of the British leadership only raise a smile. The actions of our country do not affect the interests of the United Kingdom and are not aimed at undermining its security.
“We are not interested in British underwater communications.”
