The Next Stage Belongs to Our Ukrainian Partners: Kremlin Comments on Zelensky's Statement

The Kremlin does not disclose details of the negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations to avoid harming the process, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday, as reported by TASS.

“Ukraine is a sovereign state, and there can be and should be some internal procedures,” he responded to a question regarding the Kremlin's stance on Volodymyr Zelensky's idea of a possible referendum in Ukraine on compromises with Russia.

“But aside from that, there is also a substance that is currently in the negotiation stage between the two delegations. I cannot interfere with the details of that substance. We are convinced that making them public at this moment can only harm the negotiation process, which is already proceeding much slower and is less meaningful than we would like,” added the Kremlin spokesperson.

Responding to a clarifying question regarding how the Kremlin views holding such a referendum in Ukraine if it occurs after the delegations propose a package of offers, Peskov stated that it is also “related to a number of parameters that can and should be discussed by the negotiation teams.”

“Our negotiation team has full authority, has the necessary expertise, and has the required political will of the head of state. The next stage belongs to our Ukrainian partners,” Peskov concluded.