Moscow Praises Washington: Quiet Diplomacy Better for Ukraine Talks

Russia welcomed what it called the United States’ retreat from “megaphone diplomacy” in negotiations over Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told RIA Novosti, adding that quiet, discreet talks represent the best path forward.

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org by Дмитрий Мозжухин, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Moscow, Kremlin - panoramio

Why Moscow Praises a Lower Public Profile

“We should and must view this positively, because, I repeat, we are convinced that such complex negotiations must proceed in silence,” Peskov said. He emphasized that sensitive diplomacy benefits from discretion rather than public grandstanding that can derail delicate progress.

“Such complex negotiations must proceed in silence.” — Dmitry Peskov

Contacts Continue, Details Kept Private

Peskov confirmed that Russian-American contacts remain active, but he said no additional public discussions on resolving the Ukrainian crisis took place. On December 4, President Vladimir Putin argued that officials should avoid public commentary on specific points of the U.S. peace plan while parties work to move the process forward rather than hinder it.

Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov described Mr. Putin’s conversation with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential adviser Jared Kushner as constructive, very useful and substantive. He said both sides agreed not to disclose the details of the discussions.

“The talks were constructive, very useful and substantive; the parties agreed not to disclose the details,” — Yuri Ushakov