MOSCOW, April 20. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu that the outcome of the talks with Kiev depends on Ukraine’s readiness to take into account Moscow’s demands, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

"As far as the prospects of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiation process are concerned, it was confirmed that Russia’s principled stance remained unchanged: the outcome of the talks depends entirely on Kiev’s readiness to take into account Russia’s legal demands," the ministry reported.

In addition, Cavusoglu thanked Russian service members for their help in freeing the hostages held by Ukrainian nationalists in the mosque of Mariupol.

"Mevlut Cavusoglu thanked for the assistance provided by special units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in releasing the hostages held by militants at a mosque in Mariupol," the ministry said.

The ministers reaffirmed their commitment to facilitating the settlement in the South Caucasus, including within the 3+3 group, and also touched upon bilateral relations.