Moscow: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that negotiations with Ukraine are on pause.
Asked about possible talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Peskov said expert-level discussions could lay the groundwork for any higher-level contact.
He stressed that such meetings “cannot be an end in themselves,” adding they would not resolve what he called a complex and difficult problem, Xinhua news agency reported. Russia remains open to resolving the conflict through diplomacy and political dialogue, Peskov said.
Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had reaffirmed their shared interest in seeking peaceful solutions to the Ukraine crisis.
The two top diplomats had met in New York on the sidelines of the high-level week of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, the Russian Foreign Ministry had revealed.
Lavrov reiterated Russia’s readiness to adhere to the course outlined by the two countries’ leaders in Alaska, including coordination with Washington on addressing the root causes of the conflict. He voiced opposition to what he described as proposals from Kyiv and some European capitals that could prolong the crisis.
The meeting also addressed broader bilateral issues, with both sides stressing the importance of restoring political and public contacts, leveraging the momentum set by the Presidents of Russia and the United States to advance normalisation of relations. They also emphasised the need to resume regular operations of diplomatic missions.
The two sides agreed to continue constructive dialogue between their foreign policy agencies, said the ministry.
On August 15, Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump met in Alaska. They gave a positive assessment of the meeting, but no agreement was reached on issues such as a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire.
(IANS)
