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A top Kremlin official has praised President Donald Trump as an effective leader seeking peace in Ukraine, saying Moscow sees renewed talks with Washington as worthwhile.
Russia’s Security Council vice-chairman and former president Dmitry Medvedev said Trump is actually trying to end the war in Ukraine and wants to be remembered as a peacemaker.
“Trump wants to go down in history as a peacemaker – and he’s really trying,” Medvedev said in an interview with Reuters. “And that’s why contacts with the Americans have become much more productive.”
Trump has repeatedly said that a peace deal to end the war is close. US special envoy Steve Witkoff said during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday that he had “productive and constructive meetings” with Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing effort to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
Witkoff says talks with Russian envoy were ‘productive and constructive’ amid Trump administration peace efforts
Dmitry Medvedev participates in an interview with Reuters, TASS and Vargonzo in Moscow region, Russia, on January 29, 2026. (Handout from Dmitry Medvedev’s secretariat/via Reuters)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Sunday that a new round of talks involving Ukraine, the United States and Russia will take place in Abu Dhabi this week. His announcement comes as Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukraine’s energy and logistics infrastructure, worsening conditions for civilians as freezing winter temperatures worsen.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a press conference in Kiev on February 10, 2025. (Tetiana Dzaffarova/AFP via Getty Images)
Medvedev rejected speculation that Trump is secretly aligning with Moscow, telling the outlet that Americans elected him and Russia respects that choice. He also praised Trump for standing up to the American political establishment and said his outspoken, sometimes “brutal” style is misunderstood.
Zelensky announces next round of talks with US, Russia as Ukraine aims for ‘a real and honorable end to the war’
“He is a passionate person, but on the other hand, the chaos that is usually mentioned, which is created by his activities, is not entirely true,” Medvedev said. “Obviously there is a completely conscious and capable line behind this.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Donald Trump meet at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on January 22, 2026. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters)
Medvedev told the outlet that Trump’s background as a businessman shapes his approach, joking that there is no such thing as a former businessman, echoing a famous Russian saying about former KGB agents.
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Medvedev, a hardliner in Russia’s leadership, has frequently warned of nuclear escalation in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine. He has stressed that avoiding further conflict remains the priority, but still remains hopeful that Russia will achieve a military victory in Ukraine.
“I would like it to happen as soon as possible,” Medvedev said about ending the conflict. “But it is equally important to think about what happens next. The goal of victory is to prevent new conflicts.”
