Russia presented draft document with clear wording to Ukraine, expects response — Kremlin

Russia handed over a document with concrete wording to Ukraine and is waiting for a response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday.

“The president [Vladimir Putin] said that the Ukrainian side always backs out from previously achieved agreements, backs out from their own words. This has very bad consequences in terms of efficiency of negotiations. Currently, the Ukrainian side was presented with our draft document that includes perfectly clear wording. The ball is on their side, we are waiting for an answer,” he said, adding that the timeframe for the response depends on the Ukrainian side.

“We’ve said it repeatedly that the rate of work of the Ukrainian side leaves a lot to be desired, and the Ukrainian do not display great willingness to intensify the negotiations process,” the spokesman said.

Russian-Ukrainian talks have been going on since February 28; Russian delegation is led by Presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky. Several in-person meetings took place in Belarus, after which the sides continued their communication via video conference. On March 29, an in-person round took place in Istanbul. Last Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters that Kiev backed out of agreements, achieved in Turkey, and led this process into a dead end. TASS