MOSCOW, February 27. /TASS/. Western media reports suggesting that Kirill Budanov, head of Vladimir Zelensky's office – listed in Russia as a terrorist and extremist – and David Arakhamia, head of the ruling Servant of the People party faction, both members of the Ukrainian delegation at the negotiations, may be willing to compromise on the territorial issue are nothing more than speculation, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov, who held the post from 2010 to 2014, said in an interview with TASS.

"I believe this is pure speculation and nothing more. The entire Kiev administration is a puppet regime. <...> There may be minor disagreements, but overall they obey their masters," he said in response to a related question.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin previously outlined the conditions for resolving the conflict, including the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbass and Novorossiya, the abandonment of Kiev’s plans to join NATO, the lifting of all Western sanctions against Moscow, and the establishment of Ukraine’s non-aligned and non-nuclear status. For its part, Kiev continues to reject any compromise, particularly on the issue of Donbass.