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Kremlin confirms preparations for meeting between Sukov, Volker

A date and location are yet to be determined, the Kremlin spokesman said

MOSCOW, August 23. /TASS/. Preparations for a new meeting between Russian Presidential Aide Vladislav Surkov and US Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker are underway, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that a date and location were yet to be determined.

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"As far as I know, preparations are underway but I don’t have any information about a date and location. I think, no final agreement has been made yet," Peskov said.

When speaking about the meeting’s agenda, the Russian presidential spokesman noted that it would be a regular meeting "to compare notes." "Because, as you know, there have been no progress [in resolving the situation in Ukraine - TASS], unfortunately," Peskov added.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier that Russian Presidential Aide Vladislav Surkov and the US envoy for Ukraine are expected to hold a meeting in the near future. Media reports said citing sources that talks between Surkov and Volker had exhausted their potential so the format may be changed.

Surkov and Volker have met four times so far. Their first meeting took place in the Belarusian capital of Minsk on August 21, 2017, the second and third meetings were held in the Serbian capital of Belgrade on October 7 and November 13, 2017, while Dubai hosted their talks on January 26, 2018.

Surkov said following the Dubai meeting that Washington had presented a plan concerning the deployment of a United Nations mission to eastern Ukraine in connection with the implementation of the political provisions of the Minsk Agreements, which is what Moscow had been insisting on. According to the Russian presidential aide, the new US proposals looked "quite executable."

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