At a press conference, Peskov noted that the “document contains” absolutely clear and developed formulas. The ball is in your court (Ukraine), we are waiting for a response.”
The Russian presidential spokesman did not provide further details or specify any time frame for this response, blaming Ukraine for slow progress in the negotiations and criticizing that Kyiv is constantly deviating from previously confirmed agreements.
“The dynamics of work on the Ukrainian side leave much to be desired, and the Ukrainians do not show much inclination to intensify the negotiation process,” he said.
Peskov referred to the statements of Russian President Vladimir Putin, when he noted that Kyiv is constantly changing the previously discussed agreements and moving away from its proposals. “Of course, this undermines the effectiveness of the talks,” he added.
In March, Ukraine presented its draft agreement to Russia in Istanbul, where the two sides held talks aimed at ending the conflict. It is unclear whether the two sides have maintained regular contact since that meeting.
Until today, the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said in statements on state television that Russia “has not trusted these people for a long time,” referring to the Ukrainian negotiating team.
Zakharova denounced what she called “a circus in the figurative and direct sense on the part of the Kyiv regime: those who come, those who do not come, those who participate, those who do not participate … Are we ready for this in Moscow? Absolutely yes.”
The spokeswoman considered that this was Kyiv’s approach in recent years to the talks and noted non-compliance with the Minsk agreements signed in late 2014 and early 2015.
“It is a classic scheme that allows us to make sure that it is not an independent regime and that it is controlled from the outside,” he said, adding that “the talks are a distraction for Kyiv.”
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