Kiev Ready For Talks With Moscow 'in Any Format' to Reach Diplomatic Solution to Crisis

Earlier, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that Kiev was ready for constructive negotiations with Russia but won't make any concessions.

Kiev is ready for talks with Moscow "in any format" to try and reach a diplomatic solution to the ongoing crisis, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said.

"Ukraine is ready to negotiate with Russia in any format to look for a diplomatic solution to a military conflict between our countries that has lasted for eight years already," the foreign minister said during a press conference for foreign media that was broadcast on Facebook.

Relations between Moscow and Kiev deteriorated after Russia's reunification with Crimea and amid the armed conflict in the Donbass region in Ukraine's east. Kiev has repeatedly accused Russia of interfering in its domestic affairs and in January 2015 officially declared Russia an aggressor. Moscow repeatedly stressed that Russia is neither fuelling Ukraine's internal conflict nor is a subject in the so-called Minsk agreements.

In recent months, Kiev – with the active support of its allies in the West – has been calling out Russia for the country's allegedly aggressive behaviour on the border. Moscow rejects the allegations, stressing that it is not threatening anybody and has no plans to attack anyone. According to the Kremlin, the so-called "Russian threat" is being used as a pretext to deploy more NATO troops close to Russia's borders.