“The Russian side has repeatedly emphasized that we are ready to continue direct negotiations with the Ukrainian side, with the Ukrainian delegation. And our Turkish partners also consistently emphasize that the Istanbul platform remains at our disposal, these doors remain open for us”, - said the acting chargé d’affaires of russia in Turkey, Alexey Ivanov, on the sidelines of the 16th Asian Conference of the Valdai International Discussion Club, organized in Istanbul, as reported by russian media.
“In case political will is shown by Kyiv, we are ready for such negotiations at any moment”, - Ivanov is quoted as saying.
He said that during previous rounds of negotiations, the russian side had presented a number of proposals. “A whole series of initiatives were voiced, including the creation of three online working groups”, - said Ivanov, traditionally accusing Ukraine, which has not yet shown “a positive reaction to these initiatives”.
As reported earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine is ready for negotiations with russia, but not at the cost of its territories.