MOSCOW

Pushing back against US President Donald Trump's "paper tiger" remark, Kremlin spokesperson said on Wednesday that Russia "maintains its resilience and macroeconomic stability."

"Russia isn’t a tiger at all. It’s still much more associated with a bear. There are no paper bears, and Russia is indeed a real bear," Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with Russian RBK radio station.

"Here there's nothing made of paper; Russia maintains its resilience and macroeconomic stability," Peskov said.

He added that Russian President Vladimir Putin has many times compared Russia to a bear "in various emotional tones."

Peskov noted that Trump's statements at the UN General Assembly, delivered after his communication with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, present a perspective that contrasts sharply with Russia's position.

Russia will have its own opportunity to present its stance to the US side, including through its Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who may hold bilateral talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the event, he said.

Also, the Russian and US presidents may discuss sensitive issues and the positions of their countries, he noted.

"The relationship between the two presidents allows them to address quite acute topics, including the issue of Ukrainian regulation, and convey key messages that enable understanding of each country's position and the reasons behind it," he said.

Russia remains open to the settlement process, and Trump cannot ignore Putin's openness toward this process, he stressed.

About Russia-US ties, Peskov said Moscow advocates improving the bilateral relations, concurrently with the resolution of the Ukrainian conflict, while Washington currently links these processes.

"There is a related track within our bilateral relations concerning the elimination of irritants and, so to speak, clearing away the Augean stables that have accumulated over the past decade. Progress on this front is slow, with results close to zero, although some activity persists," he said.

Peskov, however, said that Putin "continues to highly value Trump's readiness to assist and work together toward finding solutions."

Asked about the possibility of a meeting between Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Peskov said such an encounter without proper preparation would be "nothing more than a PR stunt doomed to failure."

"However, Putin emphasized that it makes sense to meet only after both sides have done their homework and preparations at the expert level are completed. Meeting unprepared would rather be a PR move destined for failure," he said.

According to Peskov, Kyiv has demonstrated a lack of interest in a diplomatic settlement, stating that Ukraine has not expressed a desire to form working groups.

"No working groups have been created; moreover, no response has been received. No desire has been expressed from Kyiv," he emphasized.

The official also questioned Zelenskyy's "unwillingness" to travel to Moscow for talks with Putin.

"Why not come over? If you're open to dialogue, why don't you come?" he asked.

He framed the conflict as a pivotal war essential for Russia's future, saying: "What is happening around us is a war. Now is the most acute stage of the war; it is quite fateful. We need to win it for the sake of our children, our grandchildren, and its future."

Peskov also claimed that the position of the Ukrainian side will deteriorate significantly if it refuses to negotiate, saying: "The dynamics show that for those who do not want to negotiate now, their position will be much worse tomorrow and the day after tomorrow."