Deputy Head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office Igor Zhovkva said that Kyiv is ready for a diplomatic settlement of the conflict in Ukraine and direct talks between the presidents of Ukraine and Russia, Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin, Sputnik International reports.
Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg, the official said that direct talks between Zelensky and Putin are essential "to stop this horrible war." He stressed that Kyiv's major conditions for such talks are a ceasefire and withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.
As of today, Russia and Ukraine have held three rounds of negotiations in Belarus in a bid to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis. The sides have agreed to establish humanitarian corridors to let civilians flee the areas where fighting continues. However, not all of these corridors have become fully operational.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmitry Kuleba are scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the Diplomatic Forum in Turkey's Antalya on Thursday.
