Ahead of a new Russia-US meeting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday praised Washington's efforts toward the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict.
Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Peskov said Russia recognizes Washington's genuine attempts to understand the root causes of the Ukrainian conflict.
"We see that Washington is trying to truly grasp what led to this conflict, and we hope that this analysis will aid efforts toward its resolution," he said.
He emphasized that without a deep understanding of the root causes of the conflict, it is impossible to pursue a meaningful settlement.
In contrast, Peskov noted that the EU continues to advocate for the war's continuation.
"So far, we see no signs of a resumption of dialogue with Europe," he added.
Regarding the new package of EU sanctions announced earlier on Monday, Peskov described it as "quite predictable" and said: "The Europeans are continuing down the path of sanctions escalation."
Responding to remarks of the US presidential spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, that a deal to end the conflict in Ukraine might be concluded this week, Peskov called for clarification.
"I believe there will be further clarification from my colleague in Washington, but I don't have that information yet," he said.
On Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's announcement of upcoming Russia-US talks later this week, Peskov explained that these discussions would be held at the expert level and that the Foreign Ministry would provide further details.
"One of the US officials recently mentioned that Washington is reformatting its approach to dialogue with Russia. This is something we welcome and support," he added.
Asked about the attack on the Russian Consulate in the French port city of Marseille, Peskov stressed that Russian diplomatic institutions in "unfriendly countries" require enhanced security, a message Moscow has conveyed to the relevant authorities through diplomatic channels.
Commenting on the recent elections in Germany, Peskov said Moscow is analyzing the results and hopes for a "more sober approach" from Berlin on Russia.
