The message sent by the Kremlin on Sunday: It is wrong to talk about canceling the Trump-Putin meeting

The Kremlin has said it is wrong to talk about canceling the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, adding that it is necessary to prepare for it, according to state TV Vesti and Reuters.

“The presidents cannot meet just for the sake of meeting, they cannot just waste their time and they are open about it,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Pavel Zarubin, the well-known Kremlin correspondent for state television.

“That's why they instructed (Russian Foreign Minister Sergei) Lavrov and (US Secretary of State Marco) Rubio to prepare this process. The process is complicated,” Putin's spokesman added.

The White House assured on Thursday that a new summit between Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin is not out of the question, but warned that the US president “wants to see action, not just talk” from Putin for a ceasefire in Ukraine.

What Peskov said about sanctions

Peskov also commented on US sanctions on Russian oil giants Lukoil and Rosneft, which he called “an unfriendly measure”, but said Russia wants to build friendly relations with all countries, including the US.

“Despite the various nuances expressed by the president of the United States, we must remain oriented to our interests. Our interests are to build good relations with all countries, including the United States,” Peskov told Zarubin.

“Of course, the measures taken this week were an unfriendly gesture. They really hurt the prospects of relaunching our relations. But that does not mean we should give up these aspirations. We have to do what is to our advantage,” Peskov said.

He also said that Russia would prosecute anyone involved in the possible seizure of frozen Russian assets.