The Kremlin stated on Monday that it was pleased with the Trump administration’s stance that ruled out Ukraine joining NATO as satisfactory to Moscow, but chose not to comment on Trump’s expectations for a deal this week. U.S. envoy General Keith Kellogg stated on Sunday that NATO membership for Ukraine is no longer being considered. Trump has often argued that earlier U.S. backing for Ukraine’s NATO aspirations played a role in triggering the conflict.

“We have heard from Washington at various levels that Ukraine’s membership in NATO is excluded,” spokesperson of the Kremlin Dmitry Peskov informed reporters.” Of course, this is something that causes our satisfaction and coincides with our position.” Peskov stated that if Ukraine were to join the U.S.-led alliance, it would “pose a threat to the national interests of the Russian Federation. And, in fact, this is one of the root causes of this conflict.”

Putin has consistently stated that Russia is open to ending the war if Ukraine agrees to give up its NATO aspirations and pulls its forces out of the four regions that Russia claims and mostly controls. Reports from November suggested that Putin was open to striking a deal with Trump but was unwilling to give up significant territory and would demand that Ukraine drop its NATO plans. On Sunday, Trump said he hopes Russia and Ukraine can reach an agreement this week to bring the war to an end.

When asked about these comments, Peskov expressed: “I don’t want to make any comments right now, especially about the time frame.” “President Putin and the Russian side remain open to seeking a peaceful settlement. We are continuing to work with the American side and, of course, we hope that this work will yield results,” Peskov stated.

He declined to directly address a Bloomberg report claiming that the United States is willing to acknowledge Russia's control of Crimea as part of a larger peace deal.

“Work on finding a peaceful settlement cannot take place, and should not take place, in public,” Peskov stated. “It should take place in an absolutely discrete mode.”