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Kremlin says Kiev’s sanctions clearly not part of preparations for Putin-Zelensky summit

The sanctions are said to be slapped against 674 individuals and 138 entities

MOSCOW, May 22. /TASS/. A new round of sanctions slapped by Ukraine on Russian entities and individuals is evidently not part of preparations for a summit meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS on Friday.

"This practice is obviously not on a plane of preparations for the two presidents’ meeting," the Kremlin spokesman said when asked whether Kiev’s new sanctions would have a negative impact on the process of negotiating a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents.

The Ukrainian president’s office said earlier in the day that Zelensky enacted the May 14 ruling of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council to impose sanctions on some individuals and legal entities, including Russian citizens and companies. The measures involve freezing assets, terminating trade operations, preventing capital outflows from Ukraine along with other restrictive measures. The sanctions are said to be slapped against 674 individuals and 138 entities.

On Thursday, Zelensky said that he was ready for dialogue with Putin, adding that his office had begun talks with Moscow about the meeting. Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s press secretary, confirmed later that the two countries still maintain contacts, but said "the process is not easy," and the outline of issues is "rather conceptual than substantive." He added that currently there was no timeframe for a possible meeting.

On April 22, commenting on Zelensky’s proposal to hold an one-on-one meeting, Putin pointed out that, if Donbass issues were in question, the Ukrainian leadership should, first and foremost, hold talks with representatives of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics to resolve the problems in Donbass, and only then can these issues be discussed with officials from third countries, including Russia. Putin added that he is ready to welcome Zelensky in Moscow at any time if he wishes to discuss bilateral relations.

Moscow has reiterated that Russia is not a party to the conflict in Donbass, but is a mediator at the talks seeking peace for eastern Ukraine.

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