Kremlin says new sanctions complicate reviving Russia-US ties

Moscow, Oct 27 New sanctions against Russia complicate efforts to restore relations with the US, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media.

"Of course, the actions taken this week were an unfriendly move. They truly damaged the prospects for reviving our relations, but this does not mean we should abandon these aspirations," Peskov told the media on Sunday, commenting on the sanctions.

In an interview with a Russian news channel on Telegram, Peskov said Putin and Trump cannot just "meet for the sake of meeting", and that is why they tasked Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, respectively, with preparations, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The process is complex. A great deal of homework truly needs to be done before the foundation for such a new summit can be laid," he added.

He added that Russia is interested in building good relations with all countries, including the US.

The Spokesman noted that Putin appreciates Trump's desire to achieve a resolution to the Ukraine conflict, but stressed it "cannot be resolved overnight".

On Wednesday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, the two largest Russian oil producers, and called for "an immediate ceasefire", adding that the White House was prepared to take further actions if necessary.

The US and its allies have imposed multiple rounds of financial and trade sanctions on Russia since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022, targeting Russian banks, defence industries and energy exports.

Earlier this week, Trump said he cancelled an forthcoming summit with Putin in Budapest because "it didn’t feel right" to him, also expressing his frustration over the lack of progress in negotiations on ending the Ukraine war.

White House Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt later said the meeting "is not completely off the table", but that they want to make sure there's a "tangible positive outcome".

Travelling to Malaysia for the 47th ASEAN summit on Saturday, Trump said he would only reschedule a meeting with Putin if he has assurances that a deal could be reached to end the over three-and-a-half-year war.

Peskov said calling the Budapest meeting as "cancelled" would be inaccurate as there was no clear agreement on a date for the summit.

Putin told reporters in Moscow on Thursday that the US President "most likely" talked about postponing the meeting.

The Kremlin Spokesman also reaffirmed Putin's remarks that Russia's response to long-range Ukrainian strikes on its territory will be "very strong, if not overwhelming".

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