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Kremlin reports no decisions made at Surkov-Nuland meeting

The Kremlin spokesman says the sides just exchanged opinions

TASHKENT, June 24. /TASS/. No decisions followed a meeting between Russian presidential aide Vladislav Surkov and US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"It was a traditional exchange of opinion. They synchronized watches," he said. "The United States does not participate in the Normandy format. In this way US partners get first-hand information from the quartet’s countries."

"This dialog channel is very positive. Washington should have the full understanding of what is happening, which may have a very favorable effect on settlement prospects," Peskov said.

Asked if some decisions might follow the meeting, Peskov replied, "No, there can be none."

About the prospects for a new meeting of leaders in the Normandy format Peskov said that as before no specific dates for a summit were being considered at the moment.

Ukraine's crisis was on the agenda

The US embassy in Moscow says the sides have discussed security aspects of the Minsk accords and ceasefire in eastern Ukraine.

"Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland and NSC Senior Directors Celeste Wallander and Charles Kupchan visited Moscow June 23 for consultations with Russian officials on the situation in eastern Ukraine and next steps to implement the Minsk agreements in support of the Normandy countries," the embassy said in a statement.

"The discussions were very detailed, thorough and constructive. They focused heavily on the security aspects of Minsk, including how to accelerate a full ceasefire, heavy weapons withdrawal and full OSCE access to Eastern Ukraine. They also reviewed the ongoing work on the political and humanitarian aspects of the Minsk, in support of the Normandy process," the embassy said.