Russia ready for new talks with Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow is prepared for a third round of negotiations with Kiev, adding that the talks should center on proposed agreements to resolve the Ukraine conflict.
The president made the remarks on Friday in Minsk, following a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council. Asked by reporters how the settlement process was progressing – and when a third round of talks with Ukraine might take place – Putin said the heads of both negotiating teams remain in constant contact, speaking regularly by phone.
He added that draft proposals from both Russia and Ukraine should form the basis of the next round of negotiations, the time and venue for which still need to be agreed on.
'These are two completely opposing documents. But that's exactly what negotiations are for – to look for ways to bridge the gap. The fact that they're polar opposites isn't surprising in my view,' Putin said. 'I'd rather not go into details, because I believe it's neither appropriate nor helpful to get ahead of the negotiations themselves.'
During the previous round of direct negotiations in Istanbul earlier this month, Russian and Ukrainian representatives exchanged draft memorandums outlining their respective visions for a road map toward a peace deal and agreed to exchange prisoners of war. Moscow also unilaterally decided to repatriate the bodies of slain Ukrainian troops as a humanitarian gesture.
Since then, Moscow has handed over 6,000 bodies to Kiev and is ready to return nearly 3,000 more, Putin said. 'But it's now up to the Ukrainian side to accept the remains of their fallen soldiers,' he added. 'We agreed that once this stage is completed, we would hold a third round of negotiations. Overall, we're ready – we just need to agree on the time and place.'
Putin thanked his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for supporting the negotiation process, saying he expects Ankara to maintain its stance. 'We're ready to hold the meeting in Istanbul,' he added.
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