MOSCOW, February 23. /TASS/. Talks on Ukraine may take place if Western countries and the Kiev regime lay down their arms and stop shelling Russian cities, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said in an interview with TASS.

"If the West and Kiev want to sit down at the negotiating table, they should, above all, stop bombarding Russian cities and lay down their arms. After that, it will be possible to hold a discussion based on new geopolitical realities," the senior diplomat noted.

Earlier, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the West was not displaying any readiness for peace initiatives on the situation in Ukraine. Last October, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky issued a decree banning any talks with Moscow stating that he was not interested in interacting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.