Many countries are offering their services, but it is premature to speak about this
À medida que Donald Trump se prepara para regressar à Casa Branca, o mundo observa com contenção o espaço que se abre entre a vontade declarada de dois líderes poderosos e a distância real que os separa. O Kremlin reconhece que tanto Putin como Trump expressaram desejo de se encontrar para discutir o fim da guerra na Ucrânia, mas adverte que a diplomacia exige mais do que intenções — exige alicerces. Neste intervalo entre a promessa e a preparação, países como a Suíça oferecem-se como palco, enquanto o conflito continua a cobrar as suas vidas.
- A Suíça e outras nações avançam como anfitriãs de uma cimeira Putin-Trump, mas Moscovo trava o entusiasmo: não há preparativos concretos em curso.
- O porta-voz do Kremlin, Peskov, traça uma linha clara entre vontade política e diplomacia real — a primeira existe, a segunda ainda não começou.
- Trump, que toma posse a 20 de janeiro, já sinalizou urgência, citando soldados mortos e a necessidade de acabar com a guerra, enquanto a sua equipa prepara terreno para conversações futuras.
- A Rússia mantém as suas exigências inalteradas: reconhecimento dos territórios ucranianos anexados e proibição permanente da adesão da Ucrânia à NATO.
- O verdadeiro teste chegará após a tomada de posse — só então será possível avaliar se existe terreno comum sob a retórica de ambos os lados.
Na segunda-feira, o Kremlin procurou moderar as expectativas em torno de uma eventual cimeira entre Vladimir Putin e Donald Trump sobre a guerra na Ucrânia. O porta-voz Dmitri Peskov reconheceu que vários países, incluindo a Suíça, se ofereceram para acolher esse encontro, mas foi direto: falar de logística sem que os alicerces estejam construídos é prematuro. "Não há preparativos substanciais em curso", afirmou.
O que existe, por agora, é apenas a vontade expressa de ambos os líderes em se reunir. Peskov sublinhou que qualquer movimento real terá de aguardar pela tomada de posse de Trump, marcada para 20 de janeiro, altura em que Washington poderá clarificar a sua posição sobre a Ucrânia.
Do lado russo, as condições para a paz permanecem inabaláveis: reconhecimento formal da anexação das regiões de Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporíjia e Kherson, bem como da Crimeia, e a exclusão permanente da Ucrânia da NATO. Moscovo apresenta estas exigências não como pré-condições para um encontro, mas como a base de qualquer negociação séria — uma distinção que lhe permite parecer aberto ao diálogo sem ceder nas suas posições máximas.
Trump, por seu lado, mostrou sentido de urgência em dezembro, dizendo que a sua equipa se preparava para um futuro encontro com Putin e invocando as mortes no campo de batalha. Peskov acolheu essas declarações como sinal de vontade política genuína. O verdadeiro contorno da política americana só se tornará visível depois da inauguração — e será então que se saberá se há, de facto, algum terreno comum sob o desejo partilhado de conversar.
The Kremlin moved to temper expectations on Monday, saying it was far too early to discuss where Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump might sit down to talk about ending the war in Ukraine. The statement came after Switzerland announced over the weekend that it stood ready to host such a summit, framing itself as a neutral venue for negotiations on the conflict that Russia launched in February 2022.
Dmitri Peskov, the Kremlin's spokesman, acknowledged that multiple countries had stepped forward offering their territory as a meeting place. But he was clear: there was no point discussing logistics when the groundwork hadn't been laid. "Many countries are offering their services as potential locations for these contacts, but it is premature to speak about this since there are no substantial preparations underway," Peskov said during his daily phone briefing.
What exists at this moment, he explained, is only the stated willingness of both leaders to meet. Trump takes office on January 20, and Peskov suggested that any real movement would have to wait until after that transition. "We will see what happens after the change of administration in Washington," he said. He also noted that Russia could only assess shifts in American rhetoric about Ukraine once Trump had actually assumed power.
The Russian position on peace talks itself remains unchanged, Peskov made clear. Moscow continues to demand that Ukraine's annexation of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions be formally recognized, along with its 2014 seizure of Crimea. Russia also insists that Ukraine be permanently barred from joining NATO. These are not negotiable points, in the Kremlin's view, but rather the foundation upon which any serious discussion must rest.
Trump, for his part, has signaled readiness to engage. In late December, he said his team was preparing for a future meeting with Putin and emphasized the urgency of stopping the bloodshed. "He wants us to meet, so we're preparing," Trump said. "We have to end this war. Soldiers are being killed." Peskov welcomed these statements as evidence of Trump's political will to address the conflict.
The Kremlin spokesman also reiterated that Russia was not laying down preconditions for a meeting—a careful distinction that allows Moscow to maintain its maximalist demands while appearing flexible on the mechanics of diplomacy. The real test will come after Trump's inauguration, when the shape of American policy toward Ukraine becomes clearer and the two sides can begin to assess whether there is any actual common ground beneath the stated desire to talk.
Citações Notáveis
Many countries are offering their services as potential locations for these contacts, but it is premature to speak about this since there are no substantial preparations underway.— Dmitri Peskov, Kremlin spokesman
We have to end this war. Soldiers are being killed.— Donald Trump, in late December remarks about meeting with Putin
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why is the Kremlin pushing back on venue discussions now, when countries are volunteering?
Because talking about where to meet implies the meeting is imminent and real. Peskov is signaling that nothing substantive happens until Trump is actually in office and his team has had time to formulate a position.
So this is about managing expectations?
Partly. But it's also about maintaining leverage. By saying preparations haven't begun, Russia keeps the initiative—they're not waiting around, they're setting the pace.
What changes on January 20?
That's when Trump becomes president and can actually speak for U.S. policy. Right now he's president-elect. The Kremlin wants to see what his administration actually does, not just what he says.
Does Russia's list of demands suggest they expect negotiations to fail?
Not necessarily. Those demands are their opening position. But they're also non-negotiable in their framing—Ukraine's NATO membership, territorial recognition. That's a high bar.
Why mention that soldiers are being killed?
Trump said it to emphasize urgency. The Kremlin is acknowledging that message, which suggests they see value in appearing responsive to humanitarian concerns, even as they maintain their territorial demands.