(VOVWORLD) - Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that “contacts between individual departments” in Moscow and Washington are ongoing and “have intensified recently.”
 Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov (Photo: Reuters) |
Peskov was responding to a question about US President Donald Trump's statement that Washington is conducting constructive negotiations with Russia and Ukraine, but provided no further details.
He reiterated that Russia remains open to negotiations, but added that “Kyiv has to be the first to demonstrate openness and interest in such talks,”
President Vladimir Putin previously promised to “immediately” order a cease-fire in Ukraine and begin negotiations if Kyiv starts withdrawing troops from the regions annexed by Moscow, renounces its plans to join NATO, adopts a neutral, non-aligned, and nuclear-free status, and undergoes demilitarization.
He added that lifting sanctions against Russia should be considered part of a peace deal.