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Military operation in Ukraine

Ukraine does not seem to seek peace, says Russia’s top negotiator

Russian-Ukrainian talks began on February 28

Russian Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky Valery Sharifulin/TASS

Russian Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky

© Valery Sharifulin/TASS

ST. PETERSBURG, June 16. /TASS/. Ukraine’s behavior at negotiations with Russia makes one think that Kiev does not want peace, Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation and an aide to President Vladimir Putin, told reporters on Thursday.

"It has been two months already, but Ukraine does not bother to provide a formal response, notify us verbally that it is taking a pause," Medinsky said on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. "I therefore have a feeling that Ukraine’s leadership does not want peace."

Russian-Ukrainian talks began on February 28. The sides held several meetings in Belarus, then continued discussions via a video link. The latest round of talks took place in Istanbul on March 29. On April 12, Putin said that Kiev was departing from the Istanbul agreements, driving the negotiations into a dead end.

Moscow has presented its draft agreement to Kiev and is waiting for it to respond, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on April 20.

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Military operation in Ukraine

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