Moscow has once again rejected the demands of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Western allies to hold quick peace talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today, quoted by DPA, BTA reported.
Putin is leaving for an emergency trip to China, also preparing for the economic forum in Vladivostok, Peskov said.
The Russian president will be in China from August 31 to September 3 and then travel to the economic forum in the Russian Far East, DPA notes.
Peskov confirmed that after the last meeting in Istanbul, contacts between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are continuing. However, no date has been set for their continuation, he added.
The Kremlin spokesman made no mention of a possible meeting between Putin and Zelensky, announced by US President Donald Trump and welcomed by Ukraine's allies.
Peskov also refused to comment on the many assumptions about a possible resolution of the conflict in Ukraine.
He noted that future guarantees for Ukraine's security after the end of the military operations being discussed in Europe are among the most important issues, but reiterated that Moscow will not accept the presence of NATO troops in its neighboring country.
Asked what Russia would agree to, Peskov replied that this was not an issue that would be discussed publicly, and added that it was too early to discuss the details of the solution.
He once again appreciated Trump's efforts as a mediator to end the the conflict.
"We believe that these efforts are very important and can actually resolve this complex, long-standing conflict, which was not provoked by us," the Kremlin spokesman said.