Russia says ‘many’ countries eager to host Ukraine talks but no grounds yet
Al Jazeera
Kremlin says Qatar and a number of other countries willing to host negotiations but conditions are not yet right.
Russia has thanked Qatar and “many” other countries for expressing interest in hosting talks about bringing the war in Ukraine to an end, but stressed that conditions are not yet right.
“There are no grounds for negotiations yet,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the Izvestia newspaper in an interview published on Wednesday, repeating Russia’s longstanding position on the talks.
“Many countries have declared their readiness to provide their territory … And we are grateful to all countries for such goodwill, including Qatar,” he said.
The Gulf state, in recent months, has mediated several returns of children taken during the war since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
The latest humanitarian exchange was announced late last month, in a deal involving nine Russian and Ukrainian children.
