The Kremlin announced Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to talks on Ukraine, pointing to the possibility of talks with the West.
“The situation with the West regarding Ukraine points to the possibility of negotiations… We prefer to achieve our goals through the political and diplomatic process,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
No prospect for negotiations
He added that there are no prospects for peace talks with Ukraine, since the law in Kyiv prohibits dialogue with Russia, and the West does not allow Kyiv to be flexible.
He also added: “Russia has always been ready to solve problems through negotiations, and President Putin has repeatedly said that we are still ready for this. Of course, achieving our goals through peaceful, political and diplomatic means is our preferred option.”
“no flexibility”
He explained: “But in the conditions when the laws of Ukraine forbid the President of Ukraine to have any contact with us or conduct any dialogue with us, and also in view of the data that clearly show that Westerners are not inclined to allow Kyiv to show at least some flexibility in that regard… so you could say there is no room for negotiation right now.
meeting in Turkey
Yesterday, Tuesday, Ukrainian and Russian human rights ombudsmen Dmitry Lubints and Tatyana Moskalkova met in Turkey, a rare meeting at this level between officials from the two countries in several months.
Lubinc said on social media Wednesday that the delegates “discussed a wide range of humanitarian cases and cases related to the provision of human rights assistance to citizens of the two countries.”
Moskalkova, in turn, noted that it was already about “humanitarian aid to the citizens of Ukraine and Russia.”
