On November 12, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Kislitsa announced that Ukraine had officially suspended peace talks with Russia.
"Since the peace negotiations ended this year without significant progress, they have been suspended," Liga.net said.
Russia has repeatedly affirmed its readiness to continue negotiations with Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed in early September that resolving the Ukrainian crisis by diplomatic means remains Russia's top priority. In the three direct negotiation rounds that took place earlier this year, the two sides had achieved certain progress.
Alexey Polishchuk - Director of the CIS countries section of the Russian Foreign Ministry - told TASS that Russia is ready to resume the negotiations in Istanbul with Ukraine and that "the ball is still on Ukraine's side".
The first round of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine took place in Istanbul on May 16, when the two sides agreed to exchange prisoners according to the "1,000 for 1,000" formula and submit memorandums of understanding on solutions to overcome the crisis.
Round two continues on June 2, in Istanbul. After this round, the two sides discussed peace conditions and agreed to exchange seriously injured prisoners and the bodies of the soldiers who died. Moscow also handed Kiev over thousands of bodies of martyrs.
The third Russia-Ukraine negotiation round took place on July 23 in Istanbul. Before the expanded meeting, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky and Secretary of the National Security Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov had a small exchange. The expanded meeting lasted about 40 minutes, in which the two sides discussed the views stated in the draft memorandums of understanding.
Kiev's official suspension of talks comes amid a prolonged conflict and no signs of major cuts from both sides, increasing the risk of escalating tensions in the war zone.
