MINSK, 12 November (BelTA) - Russia is ready to resume the negotiation process in Istanbul with Ukraine, and the ball is in Ukraine’s court, said Alexey Polishchuk, director of the Second Department of CIS countries at the Russian Foreign Ministry, TASS reports.
“For the time being, Kiev has put the negotiations on hold. Turkish officials have repeatedly called on them to resume those. The Russian team [of negotiators] is ready for that, and the ball is in Ukraine’s court,” Alexey Polishchuk noted.
The diplomat recalled that Istanbul hosted three rounds of direct talks with Ukrainian officials. He noted that even though the conversation was not an easy one, the parties reached major humanitarian agreements to conduct large-scale POW exchanges, return the bodies of killed soldiers and bring civilians home.
Alexey Polishchuk added that the parties also exchanged memoranda containing their vision of the modalities for a settlement, clarifying that the Russian Federation's proposal to set up three working groups for the Istanbul process remains unanswered.
Follow us on:
