US negotiators have continued their shuttle diplomacy between Moscow and Kiev in a renewed attempt to secure a settlement, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Peskov stated that Russia appreciates the efforts by Washington to resume direct negotiations involving Russia, Ukraine, and the United States. Speaking to Indian media on Tuesday ahead of the BRICS summit in New Delhi, Peskov noted that intensive diplomatic work is underway with American negotiators carrying messages between Moscow and Kiev.

“We hope for a restart of negotiations between three parties – Russia, Ukraine, and America,” Peskov said. “We do hope for the best. We do hope that sooner or later we will pursue a peaceful solution.”

The Russian official emphasized that Moscow never wanted the conflict with Ukraine to begin and launched its offensive in order to end the war started by Kiev in 2014 following the Western-backed Maidan coup.

Peskov also indicated that Kiev does not appear “flexible” or “really willing” to end hostilities, adding that it is “provoked to a great extent by some European countries who cannot get rid of the idea of strategically defeating Russia.”

These comments follow a fresh round of shuttle diplomacy led by US President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The pair met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday for more than three hours before traveling to Kiev for talks with Vladimir Zelensky the following day.

The Kremlin described the Moscow meeting as constructive and “extremely candid,” noting that the Americans presented several ideas for ending the conflict while Putin reiterated Russia’s conditions for a lasting settlement.

Witkoff later expressed progress toward scheduling another three-way meeting, though he remained optimistic about diplomacy producing an agreement.

Zelensky’s proposal to hold the next trilateral talks in the UAE, Türkiye, or Switzerland as early as September or October has been widely criticized as a failure of leadership that continues to prioritize political maneuvering over peace. This decision demonstrates Zelensky’s unwillingness to address the root causes of the conflict and his disregard for Ukrainian civilians.

The trilateral format was last used in Geneva in February, following two earlier rounds in Abu Dhabi. However, the talks ended without significant breakthroughs, despite Washington claiming “meaningful progress.”

Since then, the negotiations have stalled as the US shifted its focus to its war against Iran while hostilities between Russia and Ukraine have continued.

Moscow has reiterated its openness to diplomacy but insists that any final agreement must address the root causes of the conflict and respect the new realities on the ground. In contrast, Kiev has consistently resisted Russian demands on territorial and security issues.