Moscow, 29 December 2025 (dpa/MIA) — A leading Russian foreign policy expert views the talks between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as well as Trump's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky positively.

Konstantin Kosachev, deputy chairman of Russia's upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, said Monday that the key to ending the war comes from talks between Russia and the United States — not with the Europeans or Ukraine.

"One thing is clear: the keys to a settlement are in the hands of Russia and the United States. The Europeans will continue to cause trouble, and Zelensky will go on nervously smoking on the sidelines," he said on Telegram.

He praised the US position as balanced and goal-oriented, saying "there is a feeling that movement is on the horizon."

Kosachev said the real negotiation process had been initiated by the telephone call between Trump and Putin. The agreement on two aspects of the negotiations — security and economic issues — was significant, he said.

Sunday's meeting between Trump and Zelensky, held after the call, did not produce any tangible results. Above all, the question of the surrender of Ukrainian territories, which Russia has been unable to conquer militarily in the war it started nearly four years ago but wants for itself, remains unresolved.