Dmitry Peskov. Archival photoMOSCOW, June 17Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are always possible, Presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov told RIA Novosti. img src=»/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/70cd205e40f23ec79a34cf36f1e18b19.jpg» />The Foreign Ministry of the LPR sees no point in negotiations with Kiev. Earlier, in the media, citing the head of the international committee of the State Duma, Leonid Slutsky, who participated in the negotiations with Ukraine, there were reports that the dialogue could be resumed in the near future. Russian-Ukrainian consultations began in late February: delegations held two face-to-face meetings in Belarus, after which it was decided to continue them daily via video link. At the end of March, another round of negotiations took place in Istanbul, as a result of which Kyiv submitted written proposals for a future treaty.Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine depend on the West, Lukashenka said. In response, Russia went towards Ukraine and significantly reduced hostilities in the Kiev and Chernihiv directions. In addition, Moscow offered to hold a meeting between Putin and Zelensky simultaneously with the initialing of the treaty by the foreign ministers. However, later Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Ukraine was refusing its own proposals and creating numerous provocations in order to slow down the negotiation process. The official representative of the department, Maria Zakharova, stated that Kyiv had interrupted negotiations and had not yet responded to Russian proposals for the text of the draft treaty dated April 15. On May 14, Vladimir Putin, in a conversation with Finnish President Sauli Niiniste, said that negotiations with Ukraine were actually suspended. Russia launched a special operation in Ukraine on February 24. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years.» According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the main tasks of the first stage have already been completed — Ukraine's combat potential has been significantly reduced. The main goal in the Russian military department was called the liberation of Donbass.
