Kremlin says pause in Ukraine peace talks 'situational'

ISTANBUL

The Kremlin said Thursday that the pause in peace talks on the Russia-Ukraine war is temporary.

"This is a situational pause (that has arisen) for obvious reasons," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters at a media briefing in Moscow, responding to a question on how long the pause might last in talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the US.

Peskov said Russia hopes the pause will end as soon as all three parties agree on schedules, particularly when the US will "be able to pay more attention" to the situation in the Ukraine war.

In remarks to the Izvestia newspaper published overnight Wednesday, Peskov confirmed the pause.

"The two groups are working separately, with different agendas. Kirill Dmitriev (Russia's Presidential Envoy for International Economic Cooperation) continues his work. The trilateral group is on hold," he said.

He added that Russia will continue working with Ukraine on the exchange of prisoners and bodies of fallen soldiers.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had declared the pause in an evening video address earlier this month, saying it is caused by the situation in Iran.

Russia, Ukraine, and the US previously held three rounds of peace talks on Jan 23-24, Feb 4-5, and Feb 17-18. The first two were in Abu Dhabi, while the third took place in Geneva.