Kremlin claims 'significant part' of Ukraine wants to become Russia

"It is a fact that a significant part of Ukraine wants to become Russia, and that it has already become Russia. This is a fact that has happened on the ground — four new Russian regions," Peskov said at a news briefing in Moscow.

He was referring to the partly Russian-controlled Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine that Moscow annexed after referendums that were widely condemned as illegal by the international community.

"The people who, despite the many dangers, stood in queues and voted in the referendum for joining the Russian Federation — this largely corresponds to the words of President Trump," he added.

Asked to assess the probability of this event, the spokesman said "any phenomenon occurs with a 50% probability — either yes or no."

In an interview with US media, Trump said that one day Ukraine "could become Russia," and did not rule out that he would want to "return" all the money spent by the American government in this country, specifically, an equivalent in the form of Ukrainian rare earth metals worth $500 billion.

Asked whether Russia received the new US administration proposals for a Ukrainian settlement, Peskov said he had nothing to add to his previous comments.

In a separate message, the Russian Foreign Ministry said US Ambassador Lynne Trace arrived at its headquarters, promising to clarify the details later.

The statement was made following reports about the visit to Russia of US special envoy for the Middle East Steven Witkoff.

Peskov, asked to comment on the visit, said he had no information on this matter, "No, there is no information. And we have no plans to have any contacts," he said.

The spokesman added that the interaction between the two countries through various departments "has really intensified," but in this case, "there is nothing on the Ukrainian settlement."

Commenting on Trump's post citing words of Russian President Vladimir Putin about relations between the US and Europe, Peskov said quoting hardly indicated a rapprochement between the positions of Moscow and Washington.

Russia ready to assist in peaceful Armenia-Azerbaijan resolution

In response to Armenian parliament speaker Alain Simonyan’s statement that Russia’s involvement in his nation's settlement with Azerbaijan is "unlikely" due to "bad memories" of past experiences, Peskov emphasized that Moscow remains ready to assist in the peaceful resolution, but also supports the independent actions of both parties.

"We have heard statements from Yerevan at various levels expressing that there is no need for intermediaries. Both Yerevan and Baku are capable of continuing negotiations on their own until the process is concluded. While we remain prepared to offer any necessary assistance, we will also support their independent efforts," Peskov said.

He added that for Russia, the primary goal is for the South Caucasus region to remain predictable and peaceful, ultimately transforming into an area of prosperity and cooperation.

Relations between Baku and Yerevan have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Most of the territory was liberated by Azerbaijan during the war in the fall of 2020, which ended after a Russian-brokered peace agreement that opened the door to normalization and the demarcation of their border.

Azerbaijan established full sovereignty in Karabakh in September 2023, following an "anti-terrorist operation," after which separatist forces in the region surrendered.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have yet to sign a peace treaty and normalize ties.