Kremlin open to dialogue with Ukraine: Russia

During a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Thursday, Putin emphasized Moscow's support for restarting negotiations.

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin has confirmed his readiness for dialogue with Ukraine, and that an aborted 2022 peace deal could serve as the basis for resuming the negotiation, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

In a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Thursday, Putin noted that Moscow is in favour of resuming negotiations, but such talks must not be aimed at “imposing any schemes that have nothing to do with reality”.

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Peskov on Friday added that the “Istanbul agreements,” a draft peace pact reached in March 2022 between Russia and Ukraine, could serve as the basis for resuming talks, despite that there have been many changes since then, Xinhua news agency reported.

He said the Kremlin does not feel the Ukrainian side is ready for negotiations with Russia.