Lynne Tracy, the United States ambassador to Moscow, met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Tuesday (Feb 11), according to a report by the RIA state news agency. Their discussions focused on the functioning of Russian diplomatic institutions abroad, the RIA report said.

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'Significant part of Ukraine wants to be Russia': Kremlin

On the same day, the Kremlin said that a "significant part" of Ukraine "wants to be Russia," following comments made by former US President Donald Trump. In an interview with Fox News which aired on Monday, Trump responded to a question on the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Kyiv, saying, "(Ukraine) may make a deal, they may not make a deal. They may be Russian someday, or they may not be Russian someday."

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Reacting to these comments, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Trump's words "largely correspond" with the situation in Ukraine. He added, "The fact that a significant part of Ukraine wants to become Russia, and has already, is a fact," referring to Moscow's 2022 annexation of four Ukrainian regions.

Peskov also added, "Any phenomenon can happen with a 50 per cent probability -- either yes or no."

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Kremlin says it has no information on US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow

Regarding reports circulating on Telegram about a possible visit to Moscow by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Peskov said that he had no information on the matter and that no meetings with Witkoff were scheduled.

Additionally, Peskov stressed that interactions between the Trump administration and Russian officials had increased at various levels. However, he clarified that there were no new developments regarding discussions on Ukraine.

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Trump has previously said that ending the conflict will be a key objective for the early months of his presidency.

Both sides have welcomed his focus on ending the war. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he is open to direct talks with Trump to explore a possible agreement. On Sunday, the New York Post reported that Trump had privately spoken with Putin about the Ukraine war.

(With inputs from agencies)