MOSCOW, March 11. /TASS/. The Kremlin has not received any new settlement plan for Donbass, which, according to Kiev, is worked out, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.
Speaking about potential contacts between Russian and Ukrainian leaders, Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky, the Kremlin spokesman noted that Moscow had received no offers yet to arrange such meetings. "Similarly, there is no discrete new plan ‘on the table'," he stressed. "At this point, we did not quite understand, because we do not have anything on the table, we have not seen any plan."
According to some media reports, chief of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andrei Yermak earlier said that a specific plan for a settlement in Donbass proposed by Germany and France and adjusted by Ukraine was on the negotiating table. He claimed that this plan matched the spirit of the Minsk accords.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow knew nothing about such a plan.
Putin-Zelensky meeting
Moscow has not received any offers through diplomatic channels to organize bilateral contacts between Russian and Ukrainian leaders, Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky, Dmitry Peskov informed.
Yesterday, the Kremlin spokesman said, commenting on the possibility of a Putin-Zelensky bilateral meeting or talks within the Normandy Four (Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine) format, that any meeting, especially a top-level one, should be well-prepared.
On Thursday, when asked whether Ukraine had offered to organize any contacts between Putin and Zelensky, Peskov stated: "We have all heard numerous statements by the [Ukrainian] president on his desire to organize a Normandy Four meeting as soon as possible, and we are always discussing it during meetings between ministers and presidential aides." "When it comes to a specific visit or any bilateral contacts, we have not received any concrete initiatives through diplomatic channels," he said.
When asked whether there are any plans to hold a phone call between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, Peskov said: "So far no. If necessary, they can be approved quite quickly, however, no such contacts are planned," he stressed.
Earlier, the Ukrainian leader stated that a Normandy Four summit is currently in the works, however, if the summit is not held, he is ready to meet personally with the presidents of each country. The Kremlin spokesman noted that the best way to prepare for a Putin-Zelensky meeting would be for Kiev to adhere to the previously reached agreements on Donbass. "Any meeting, let alone a summit, needs to be prepared properly. In this case, the best way to prepare for the meeting would be to implement previous agreements," Peskov told the press on March 10, adding that he referred to the Minsk Package of Measures and the agreements reached in Paris in 2019.
Growing tension at engagement line
The growing tension at the engagement line in Donbass causes the Kremlin’s concern, Dmitry Peskov said.
"Any growth in tension in such a hotspot is potentially [fraught] with various provocations. Considering the aggressive position of the Ukrainian armed forces, we, of course, feel concern in this regard," the Kremlin spokesman said.
Russia’s Defense Ministry and the Russian special services can closely follow the situation near the borders, Peskov stressed.
The Kremlin spokesman noted that the Russian presidential administration could not monitor the situation in detail. "Nevertheless, we receive information that tension has grown considerably at the engagement line over the past month," he specified.
The Kremlin spokesman noted that the media bore a large responsibility in this situation and mentioned the cases of untrue reports subsequently rejected by people from Donbass. "In this regard, it is necessary to be very accurate and verify the information ten times, considering the extreme tension at the engagement line," the Kremlin spokesman explained.