Moscow, July 14 Russia is ready to hold another round of talks with Ukraine, but Kyiv is evidently in no hurry, said the Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday.
“Kyiv is clearly taking its time. We still await proposals concerning the timelines. The Russian side is willing to continue and hold a third round [of talks],” he said.
Meanwhile, speaking to the Russian newspaper Izvestia, the country’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Mikhail Galuzin, mentioned that Russia will continue direct negotiations with Ukraine.
“There is an understanding that direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations will continue,” said Galuzin, who earlier participated in two previous meetings in Istanbul.
Reports suggest that the Kremlin is currently awaiting signals from Kyiv that would indicate a willingness to resume direct talks. However, the Ukrainian authorities maintain that the third round can only begin once the agreed prisoner exchanges have been completed.
Addressing reporters, the Kremlin Aide Yuri Ushakov said that the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, in a recent telephone conversation with his US counterpart Donald Trump, confirmed Moscow's readiness to continue negotiations with Kyiv after June 22.
Earlier this month, Ushakov mentioned that the telephone conversation between Putin and Trump lasted for almost an hour.
“Naturally, the issues surrounding Ukraine were discussed. Donald Trump has once again raised the issue of ending the hostilities as soon as possible. In turn, Vladimir Putin noted that we still continued the search for a political, negotiated solution to the conflict. He informed his counterpart on the progress in implementing the humanitarian agreements reached during the second round of direct Russian-Ukrainian talks held in Istanbul. He also noted Russia was willing to pursue negotiations,” read a statement issued by the Russian President’s office.
“Additionally, the President of Russia said that Russia would strive to achieve its goals, namely the elimination of the well-known root causes that led to the current state of affairs, the bitter confrontation that we are seeing now. Russia will not back down from these goals,” the statement added.
The second round of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine held in Istanbul on June 2 made modest but concrete progress in renewed peace talks. The roughly 90-minute session raised cautious hopes for a potential easing of hostilities through expanded humanitarian measures, including the largest prisoner exchange since the onset of the conflict.
Moscow and Kyiv agreed to carry out an “all for all” exchange of seriously ill prisoners of war and those under 25 years - at least 1,000 people on each side.
The first round of talks took place on May 16, which resulted in agreements on a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner swap and an exchange of official terms for a potential ceasefire.
--IANS
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