Russia says Ukraine is not a bargaining chip

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that issues regarding Ukraine would not be part of a deal with the United States. TASS new agency reports that in a press conference on Feb. 9, Peskov called on the U.S. to bring its influence to bear upon Ukraine to adhere to the Minsk agreement. In addition, Reuters reports that Peskov did not give any details regarding the preliminary plans for the first meeting between presidents Putin and Trump, as “Right now, it’s not clear what we are preparing for.”

James Hydzik: We see the relatively weak response by the Russians to the week’s announcements by the EU and the U.S. regarding the maintenance of the sanctions regime as a further indication that the status quo will not change in the near future. Even if allegations that U.S. national security advisor Michael Flynn spoke with Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak on Dec. 29 about the latest round of sanctions prove true, we see the inertia of official statements as the key at this time.