Russia said on Wednesday that Ukrainian neutrality was taking center stage in ongoing talks between Moscow and Kyiv aimed at finding a diplomatic solution to the nearly three-week battle.
separately, MoscowThe U.S.’s chief negotiator said his delegation was pushing for a status comparable to that of Sweden or Austria, two neutral countries in Western Europe.
The two sides have held several rounds of talks with the aim of finding common ground and bringing the hostilities started by whom? Russian Leader Vladimir Putin stopped at the end of February.
The latest bout ended late Tuesday, though Kyiv pointed to “fundamental contradictions” in the situation in Russia and Ukraine.
UkraineRussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, “Definitely the security guarantees as well as the neutral position are being seriously discussed.” rbk business news outlet in an interview.
“It is now being discussed in the talks. There are very specific terms and in my view, the parties are close to agreeing on them,” he said.
Both sides had earlier raised hopes of a breakthrough, citing agreements that were close to being put on paper and signed.
Russia’s chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky told reporters on Wednesday that talks were “slow and difficult” but said the Kremlin wants peace, “as soon as possible”.
He reiterated that the main issue in the talks is a “neutral” Ukraine, citing the position of Austria and Sweden as possible examples to follow.
Medinsky said other issues were being discussed, including the status of the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Russia in 2014, as well as areas held for years by pro-Moscow separatists.
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