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Conflict in Ukraine to be settled through talks — Pentagon chief

"We are going continue to work to put Ukraine in the best possible position" for peace talks, Lloyd Austin pledged

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin AP Photo/Kevin Wolf, File

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin

© AP Photo/Kevin Wolf, File

BERLIN, September 6. /TASS/. The conflict in Ukraine will be ultimately settled at the negotiating table, but it is impossible to say when, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

"I think eventually this conflict will be decided at the negotiation table but when that point comes it is hard to predict still," he said after another meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

"We are going continue to work to put Ukraine in the best possible position" for peace talks, he pledged.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) that Russia had never rejected talks on Ukraine but these talks should be based on the Istanbul agreements rather than some "ephemeral demands."

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