“Obviously, no one excludes such a meeting, and it has never been ruled out, but it should be prepared for it. A meeting between Putin and Zelensky just to finalize some documents makes sense,” the senior Russian official told reporters.
However, he made it clear that negotiations between Moscow and Kiev have been on hold for a long time. “Work on such a document was halted a long time ago and has not been resumed since then,” a Russian presidential spokesman said.
Peskov also noted that there is still no clear understanding about a possible meeting of delegations from Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations in Istanbul.
Asked by reporters whether there was any connection between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s visit to Turkey on June 8 and a possible meeting, the senior official replied that “the context of all this is the same.”
He noted that “in fact, all the events are indirectly linked here,” but stressed that “there is still no clear understanding of the mentioned meeting.”
Peskov warned that no reference point had been set for a possible visit of Putin to Turkey, although he confirmed the existence of such an invitation and said that the dates would be agreed upon through diplomatic channels.
Russia began a military operation in Ukraine on February 24, after the authorities of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk republics requested unilateral assistance to repel the escalation of aggression and intense bombardment by Kyiv.
Previously, Moscow recognized the independence and sovereignty of both territories and signed treaties of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance with their leaders, which included the establishment of diplomatic relations and military assistance.
In his speech to inform the beginning of the operation, the Russian President stated that the goal is to protect the Donbass population from violations and genocide in Kyiv during
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