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Ukrainian presidential office against negotiating with Russia at this stage

According to Mikhail Podolyak, negotiations from a position of strength will be fair

MOSCOW, July 26. /TASS/. An agreement with Russia will not lead to the end of the Ukrainian conflict, but will only freeze it, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mikhail Podolyak said.

"Yes, it [the signing of the agreement] can be a freeze of the conflict for a certain time. But this means that the Russian Federation will work on its mistakes and update its own army," he told the Associated Press.

At the same time, he said in an interview with Ukraine's Channel 24 that Kiev was ready "for a negotiation process on fair terms," commenting on the words of Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba during his visit to China. According to Podolyak, negotiations from a position of strength will be fair.

On July 24, Kuleba said during consultations with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi that Ukraine was preparing for a dialogue with Russia. Meanwhile, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitriy Peskov recalled that Kiev had a ban on any contacts with Moscow, in connection with which there was still "a lot to be clarified and heard."

The Russian authorities have already repeatedly stated their readiness to negotiate with Ukraine on the settlement of the conflict. At the same time, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova pointed to the fact that the Ukrainian initiatives show "that official Kiev is completely disconnected from modern realities."