The Kremlin has accused Ukraine’s leadership of halting the Istanbul negotiation process aimed at achieving a possible peace agreement.
“It is on hold because of the Kiev regime’s unwillingness to respond in any way to the questions we have asked,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.
He made the remarks during an interview with Pavel Sarubin, a correspondent for Russian state television.
Peskov claimed that Ukraine had failed to respond to a draft document proposing the creation of three working groups to advance the peace process.
He added that Russia remained optimistic about the spirit of Anchorage, referring to the summit held between President Vladimir Putin and former U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska in August, although the meeting produced no tangible progress toward ending the conflict.
According to Peskov, Kiev has not contributed positively to the negotiations, but Moscow hopes Trump would continue to show political will for a peaceful resolution.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three and a half years ago. Since May, delegations from Moscow and Kiev have met several times in Istanbul for direct talks.
While both sides have agreed on several prisoner and soldier remains exchanges, Moscow has refused to make concessions on its core demands, leaving little prospect for an immediate peace agreement.
(NAN)