ISTANBUL

The Kremlin said on Friday that the next round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine will be taking place on Feb. 17-18 in Geneva, Switzerland.

"The next round of negotiations on a Ukrainian settlement will also take place in a trilateral ... format on February 17-18 in Geneva," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a press briefing.

He added that Russia's delegation at the upcoming talks will be led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky.

Earlier Friday, Peskov confirmed that an agreement was reached to hold the next round of peace talks "next week," but gave no further details.

Russia and Ukraine held two rounds of US-mediated peace talks in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, in January and earlier this month. As a result, they agreed to the first exchange of war prisoners in five months.

Discussions on a new round of negotiations have ensued since the latest talks on Feb. 4-5, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying they are expected to take place on Feb. 17-18, in remarks to Bloomberg News published Wednesday.

Neither Russian nor US authorities have yet to comment on Peskov's remarks.

Russia-US economic cooperation

Peskov also commented on a separate Bloomberg News report saying that Russia is proposing economic cooperation to the US and that companies from both countries are interested in this.

He stated, however, that it is unlikely anything concrete can be discussed towards expanding Russian-American economic cooperation until a resolution is reached over Ukraine.

Citing a high-level Russian memo, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday that Moscow set out proposals to Washington for a wide-ranging economic partnership and that several points were detailed where Russian and US economic interests could converge, including joint investments in natural gas and critical raw materials.

According to the media outlet, the document, drafted earlier this year, centers on Russia's return to the dollar settlement system.

Speaking about the issue, Peskov said Russia has never abandoned the use of the dollar, adding: "It's the issuing country, the US, that has restricted the use of the dollar by a number of countries."

"If the dollar is attractive, then, of course, everyone will return to using it, including alongside other currencies," Peskov said, adding that, at the same time, the dollar will have to seriously compete with alternatives.

Commenting on Gaza, he said Russia has yet to determine its position concerning US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace.

On Jan. 22, representatives of 19 countries signed the Charter of the Board of Peace on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

The Board of Peace was established within the framework of efforts toward a peaceful settlement in the Gaza Strip. Washington has said additional states have since joined the initiative. Its first meeting is scheduled for Feb. 19 in Washington, DC, at the leader level.