Russia: No 'Breakthroughs' With Ukraine After Zelensky Offer For Ending War

On Monday, the Russian government said that it saw no significant progress towards ending the war in Ukraine, despite recent offers for a compromise and pending face-to-face diplomatic negotiations.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a statement to Russian state-owned news agency TASS, that he could not make any speculation about progress toward an end to the Ukrainian conflict at the present time. However, he did note that the mere fact that a new round of face-to-face talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegates are set to begin soon is a positive sign.

"We cannot and will not speculate about progress for the time being, but the very decision to go ahead with face-to-face talks is important, of course," Peskov said. "For now, we prefer to follow a policy of not disclosing any details of the talks. We believe that otherwise, we might harm the negotiating process."

"Regrettably, we cannot say there have been any significant achievements or breakthroughs so far," Peskov added.

On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered a proposal for ending the conflict in his country through compromise and diplomacy. Addressing Russian independent media via Zoom, Zelensky suggested that Russian forces pull back to the position they held in the contested region Donbas prior to the invasion. At that point, talks could begin between diplomats to solve "the complex issue of Donbas."

"I understand that it is impossible to force Russia to completely liberate the territory, it will lead to World War III," Zelensky said. "I understand everything perfectly and am aware of [this]. That's why I say: It's a compromise. Return to where it all began, and there we will try to solve the issue of Donbas, the complex issue of Donbas."

The peace talks Peskov mentioned are set to take place soon in Istanbul, Turkey. He was unable to give a firm timeline, but said that the talks were unlikely to begin on Monday.

"The delegation is leaving for Turkey today, Peskov added. "We expect that theoretically, this may happen [Tuesday]... Face-to-face meetings allow for conducting talks in a more focused, tighter, and meaningful way."

In his interview over the weekend, Zelensky also said that he is willing to consider some Russian demands in exchange for a withdrawal from Ukraine, including the country declaring a neutral status. He noted, however, that he would only do so following a referendum and with third-party assurances of Ukraine's safety.

Newsweek reached out to Ukrainian officials for comment but did not hear back before publication.