Putin to Meet With Whitcoff on Tuesday

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has reported that it is possible that additional statements for the press may be made at the conclusion of the negotiations. Peskov emphasized that Russia is interested in the successful outcome of talks regarding Ukraine and therefore does not plan to conduct them in a public format. “This process should proceed calmly, in a non-public sphere,” he noted.

In response to a question about whether the dismissal of Andrey Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president's office, will affect the negotiation process, Peskov stated that “time will tell on that matter.”

Moscow has also reacted harshly to last week’s Ukrainian attacks on the Novorossiysk infrastructure of the Caspian pipeline consortium and tankers moving in the Black Sea. Peskov highlighted that what occurred represents “an attack on the sovereignty of the Republic of Turkey, as well as an encroachment on the property of the owners of those vessels.”