Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Ukraine should withdraw its troops from all areas of Donbas still controlled by it, adding that this would contribute to a diplomatic and political solution to the conflict, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
Peskov also indicated that Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to "work on the crisis situation that is developing and increasingly escalating in the Middle East".
Nearly five weeks after the start of the Israeli-American military operation, the war in Iran continues to destabilize the Middle East region and upset financial markets. Thus, the pressure on US President Donald Trump to end the conflict soon is increasing, Reuters notes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the situation on the front line is currently the best for Ukraine in the past 10 months. He added that last month Ukrainian forces prevented an offensive by the Russian army, Reuters reported.
"The offensive that they were preparing last month was thwarted by the actions of our armed forces. That is why the Russians will now intensify their offensives," Zelensky said in a statement published by his office today.
The Ukrainian president indicated that he had invited US negotiators to visit Kyiv during a video conference call earlier this week, during which he had received "positive signals" in response to his proposal.
"I invited the American negotiating team to Kiev. They will do everything possible to visit Kiev in the current conditions marked by the war against Iran," Zelensky stressed.
"This is an alternative option to a trilateral meeting at the level of technical working groups. American negotiators can come to us, and then visit Moscow," the Ukrainian president added.