MOSCOW, May 9 (ANI): Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aide, Yury Ushakov, said on Saturday that Putin’s position regarding his willingness to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for talks remains unchanged, according to Tass.
Ushakov described messages conveyed from Kyiv through Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico as outdated and repetitive, saying they had already been communicated through several intermediaries, including US President Donald Trump.
“Our president has responded many times that if he (Zelenskyy) wants to meet, he should call Moscow; we are ready to receive him and hold talks,” Ushakov told Tass.
“What is he saying? It all ends up hanging in the air,” Ushakov said, accusing Ukraine of inconsistency.
Ushakov also told reporters that Trump’s hopes for an extension of the ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine were unfounded, Tass reported.
“Yes, [Trump’s hope for an extension of the ceasefire] is unfounded,” the diplomat said. “But he hopes for it, why not? And he is working toward it.”
“But this (a prolonged ceasefire) depends not only on him, but also on the other two parties,” Ushakov added.
Tass further reported that relevant agencies in Russia and Ukraine are currently working on lists of prisoners of war, and a prisoner exchange could begin once both sides reach an agreement.
“As far as I know, the relevant agencies are supposed to be actively working on the lists today, and if they reach an agreement through their channels, the exchange will begin,” Tass quoted Ushakov as saying.
Ushakov added that the process could move fairly quickly.
“On our part, the preliminary work [on the prisoner exchange] was underway even before the announcement of this ceasefire. And we had already provided lists to the Ukrainian side. We received no response from them. But now, perhaps due to the pressure from US President Donald Trump, as I mentioned earlier, they will hurry up with preparing the list,” Ushakov said. (ANI)
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