Russia: Moscow-Kyiv talks impossible due to Ukraine's legislative ban

The Russian presidential press secretary, Dmitriy Peskov, has said that negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv are impossible due to Ukraine's legislative ban on them. Vladimir Putin, he claims, has always been open to dialogue and that nothing has changed.

"Putin has always been open to negotiations. He tried to initiate negotiations with NATO and the United States, with Ukraine. Nothing has changed in this regard. Only the position of the Ukrainian side has changed. Ukrainian law now prohibits negotiations," Kommersant quotes Peskov as telling reporters.

He noted that the Russian president tried to initiate negotiations with NATO, the United States, and the OSCE even before the start of the "military operation" in Ukraine.

Peskov added that there is no conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Putin's schedule, "but they are sometimes coordinated in a matter of hours". The Turkish leader has repeatedly stated that he is ready to become a mediator in the negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv.

On October 4, Ukraine President Vladimir Zelenskyy signed a decree that excludes negotiations with Russia while its president is Vladimir Putin.