Russia to Remain Open to Talks on Settlement in Ukraine - Kremlin
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia was, is and will always be open to negotiations on the settlement in Ukraine, but intends to continue its special military operation until its goals are achieved, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, Bloomberg reported that Russia was allegedly signaling to the United States via indirect channels that it was open to talks on the future settlement of the Ukraine conflict, including possible security arrangements for Kiev, and was testing the waters to see if Washington was interested in engaging.
"President Putin has stated numerous times that Russia was, is and will continue to be open for negotiations on Ukraine... We are determined to reach our goals. And would prefer to complete it by diplomatic means. If not, the military operation will be continued till we reach our goals," Peskov told Bloomberg when asked to comment on the report.
US officials, on the other hand, deny having received any signals from Moscow.
"We are unaware of the shifts in Russia's position described," US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said.
