MOSCOW, August 29. /TASS/. Senegal adheres to a neutral position on the Ukraine conflict and favors its settlement through dialogue, the republic's Foreign Minister Yassine Fall said at a joint press conference following talks with her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

"I would also like to note Senegal's position on <...> the [Ukraine] conflict. We hold a neutral stance. We call for dialogue, for the start of negotiations," Fall emphasized. "This is the position of Senegal, this is the position of the African Union," she added.

The minister also expressed hope for "strengthening ties" between Moscow and Dakar to "address important issues" on the international agenda.

The Russian authorities have previously repeatedly stated their readiness to negotiate with the Ukrainian side on the settlement of the conflict. However, after the Ukrainian armed forces attempted to invade the Kursk Region in August, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized that negotiations with Kiev were out of the question. His aide Yury Ushakov explained that Putin's proposals on the Ukrainian settlement remain in force, but now negotiations between Moscow and Kiev are impossible given the provocation in the Kursk Region.