MOSCOW, January 29. /TASS/. The territorial issue remains a key one in the Ukrainian settlement, but many other issues remain on the agenda, Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov said on TV Channel One.

"The territorial issue is the most important issue," the Kremlin spokesman said. "But many other issues remain on the agenda, many more."

When asked whether the parties were currently at an advanced stage of negotiations, Ushakov recalled: "We held the first round of talks within the framework of the security working groups. That's where we stand."

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the day before that US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and the American leader's son-in-law, entrepreneur Jared Kushner, would not participate in the talks scheduled for February 1. "This was an agreement among everyone - both the Americans and the Ukrainians - to conduct bilateral communication at a lower level," Ushakov explained.