Kyiv: Russian-Ukrainian talks will resume tomorrow, Monday. Moscow is less specific

(Reuters) – Ukraine’s negotiator David Arachhamiya said in a Facebook post on Saturday that Russia and Ukraine would hold a third round of talks on Monday on ending hostilities, without providing further details.

The Russian side was less specific and only said that talks could start on Monday.

Delegations from Ukraine and Russia have held two rounds of talks since Russia launched a large-scale invasion of its neighbor on February 24.

The two sides agreed, on Thursday, to open humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to leave some combat zones, despite the delay in implementing them.

Ukraine said on Saturday that the talks had not produced results but that it would continue negotiations.

“The third round of talks will take place on Monday,” Arachhamiya, who is also the leader of the parliamentary faction of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s party, wrote.

“The third round can already be held in the coming days, and it is likely that it will be on Monday,” the Russian news agency Interfax later quoted Russian negotiator Leonid Slutsky as saying.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday that Zelensky’s attempt to secure direct assistance from NATO in the conflict between their two countries was not helping the talks between the two sides, but that Moscow was ready for a third round. Read more

Fearing being drawn into Moscow’s war on its neighbor, NATO on Friday rejected Zelensky’s call to establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine, prompting Ukraine’s president to say the alliance had given Russia the green light to continue its bombing campaign.

Earlier on Saturday, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he was open to talks with Lavrov, but only if they were “meaningful”.

The Kremlin said on Friday that progress in the negotiations would depend on Kyiv’s reaction to Moscow’s position on how to end the war, which was conveyed to Ukraine on Thursday.

The Russian TASS news agency quoted Slutsky as saying that the Ukrainian side showed some openness in the second round of reaching an agreement.

Additional reporting by David Leungren. Editing by Kevin Levy and Paul Simao

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