Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov questioned why the US pressures Moscow but not Kyiv in the latest negotiations.

Peskov’s Wednesday statement comes as the US resumes arms deliveries to Kyiv and threatens Moscow with crushing sanctions after US President Donald Trump publicly voiced his frustration with Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s unwillingness to comply with his ceasefire.

Following Washington’s latest U-turn on Ukraine, Peskov asked why countries like the US are pressuring Moscow but not Kyiv.

“We’re asking everyone to do this. In this case, the main mediating efforts are coming from the United States – President [Donald] Trump and his team. Many statements have been made, many expressions of disappointment voiced, but we certainly hope there is also pressure on the Ukrainian side,” Peskov said, as reported by state media TASS.

Peskov also called for Kyiv’s return to direct talks with Moscow – the latest unilateral proposal by Moscow that Kyiv has rejected following Moscow’s decision to send a historian to the last two rounds of Istanbul talks, both of which failed to produce a ceasefire as intended.

Did the US pressure Kyiv?

Yes – one example was Kyiv agreeing to cede parts of its mineral rights in exchange for continued US support under the Trump administration.

Trump had also lambasted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on multiple occasions, at times accusing the latter of being a “dictator” and provoking Moscow’s invasion, before mending ties in recent weeks.

After Trump’s return to office in January, he has also halted weapon shipments to Kyiv on multiple occasions – including the sharing of military intelligence in March.

Trump had also vowed to stop future weapons aid for Kyiv, requiring Kyiv to purchase all future weapons before the latest U-turn.

Trump’s U-turn

Although the Trump administration has spent months pressuring Ukraine to make concessions for a swift end to the war, Moscow’s refusal to accept a US-mediated ceasefire – already endorsed by Kyiv – appears to have taken its toll.

In March’s US-mediated talks in Saudi Arabia, Kyiv and Moscow said they agreed to a partial ceasefire on energy and the Black Sea, which fell apart without an explicit agreement between the parties, with both accusing each other of violations.

The West then called for intensified sanctions on Moscow if the latter failed to comply with an unconditional ceasefire by May 12, but later said Moscow had one week to show progress before proceeding with new sanctions.

Putin then proposed direct talks with Kyiv in Istanbul in response. These talks did not result in a ceasefire, although Putin later, in a phone call with Trump, proclaimed there would be a “memorandum” towards a ceasefire.

Another Istanbul meeting took place, also without a ceasefire.

Europe and the UK subsequently unveiled new sanction packages, but the US did not follow suit.

With no ceasefire in place, Moscow launched a major attack on Kyiv in late May, prompting Trump to say he is “very disappointed” with Moscow’s attacks.

On July 4, after a phone call with Putin, Trump said he is “not happy” with the call as Putin reportedly conveyed Moscow’s maximalist position once again.

theatrical ultimatum.”

“Russia doesn’t care,” said Medvedev.