Moscow: The Kremlin on Tuesday expressed confidence in US President Donald Trump's resolve to address the situation in Ukraine. "We continue to assume that President Trump retains the political will to facilitate the transition of the Ukrainian settlement to the channel of peaceful and political negotiations," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated during a press briefing. He noted the subdued nature of diplomatic dialogue between Russia and the US, attributing this to the inertia in bilateral relations.
According to Anadolu Agency, Peskov remarked that the dynamic at the level of heads of state is notably different, highlighting the more lively personal relations between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Peskov refrained from commenting on the possibility of a phone conversation between the two presidents, which had been speculated to coincide with Putin's 73rd birthday, stating, "I won't announce anything. We'll let you know once we've made the contacts."
In another development, Peskov discussed a phone conversation between Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, describing it as 'very important.' This marked their first interaction since December last year. A statement from Azerbaijan's presidency highlighted that Aliyev congratulated Putin on his birthday and both leaders exchanged views on the current state and prospects of Azerbaijan-Russia ties.
The relationship between Baku and Moscow entered a challenging phase following the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane in Kazakhstan in December last year, which resulted in 38 fatalities. Putin had offered condolences to Aliyev shortly after the incident. Aliyev later accused Russia of unintentional involvement in the crash and called for accountability and compensation during an interview with AzTV.
In July, Aliyev indicated that Baku would seek international justice concerning the crash and had communicated this intention to Moscow. Peskov acknowledged Baku's right to pursue legal action in international courts and stated that Russia would await official verdicts. Relations further strained after Azerbaijan canceled all Russian cultural events in response to the deaths of two Azerbaijani citizens during a police raid in Yekaterinburg in late June.