The Kremlin said on Monday that it was working on agreeing the dates for a third round of peace talks with Kyiv, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed holding them this week.
The two sides met for talks in Istanbul in May and June, but have not yet agreed a date for a third round.
“As soon as there is final agreement on the dates, we will inform you immediately,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
The two countries agreed large-scale prisoner exchanges during their previous meetings, but failed to reach a ceasefire to end the three-year-old conflict.
They also presented their draft terms for ending the fighting.
Russia’s draft calls on Ukraine to effectively retreat from the four Ukrainian regions Moscow claimed to annex in September 2022, a demand Kyiv has called unacceptable.
Ukraine’s draft demands Moscow cease hostilities and respect Kyiv’s NATO ambitions.
“We now need to exchange views and hold negotiations on these two drafts, which are currently diametrically opposed. A lot of diplomatic work lies ahead,” Peskov said.
In the two previous rounds of talks, the Russian delegation was led by Vladimir Medinsky, a political scientist not seen as a big decision maker.
Russia’s team at the next round will remain the same, Peskov said.
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