Kremlin lacks information about Russia-Ukraine peace talks

MOSCOW

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday they have not been informed about a possible new round of the Russia-Ukraine peace talks.

If a new meeting of the Russian and Ukrainian negotiators is scheduled, Belarus would be an ideal platform to continue the talks, Peskov said at a daily press briefing in Moscow.

Peskov denied that Russian President Vladimir Putin has refused to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

He reiterated that Putin has a clear condition for such a meeting -- a draft of a peace treaty agreed by the sides and ready to be signed by the heads of the states.

"The president has never refused such a meeting, but appropriate conditions should be prepared for it, namely the text of the document," he said.

The spokesman then noted that the US could contribute to peace in Europe by making Kyiv accept and implement Russia's demands.

Russia's war on Ukraine has been met with international condemnations with the US and EU imposing a host of sanctions on Moscow.

At least 1,932 civilians have been killed and 2,589 injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the war, which started on Feb. 24, according to UN estimates, with the true figure feared to be much higher.

More than 4.6 million Ukrainians have fled to other countries, with over 7 million more internally displaced, said the UN refugee agency.