KYIV/ MOSCOW – A senior Ukrainian negotiator has said that talks between Ukraine and Russia are moving toward a potential agreement, the Ukrinform news agency reported on Friday.
“They all understand that the war has to end. That’s why the negotiations are underway. I don’t think it will take long,” said Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s Presidential Office chief.
He acknowledged that both sides so far maintained “maximalist” positions in the talks, but expressed confidence that they will move closer in search of a compromise.
Delegations from Ukraine, the United States, and Russia previously held two rounds of talks in Abu Dhabi on Jan 23-24 and Feb 4-5, followed by another round in Geneva on Feb 17-18.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, further meetings were temporarily postponed due to shifting US foreign policy priorities focusing on the conflict in the Middle East.
‘Russia wants lasting peace’
Russia does not want a temporary truce, but lasting and sustainable peace, the Kremlin said on Friday a day after the announcement of an Orthodox Easter ceasefire with Ukraine.
The ceasefire is humanitarian in nature and Moscow has seen Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s statement on the truce, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday announced a ceasefire during the Easter holidays with Ukraine. Zelensky soon posted on social media that Ukraine was “ready for symmetrical steps” if Russia adheres to an Orthodox Easter ceasefire.
“Ukraine has repeatedly stated that we are ready for symmetrical steps. We proposed a ceasefire during the Easter holidays this year and will act accordingly,” Zelensky wrote on X, adding that people need an Easter free from threats and real movement toward peace.
Peace in Ukraine can be reached today if Zelensky makes such a decision, the spokesman added.
Meanwhile, Peskov confirmed that Kirill Dmitriev, Russia’s special presidential envoy, is currently on a visit to the US
Dmitriev is not negotiating the Ukrainian settlement, Peskov said, adding that his visit to the United States does not mean the resumption of such contacts.