Ukraine officially announces readiness for peace talks with Russia

Ukraine is ready to negotiate with Russian, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a conversation with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

"The Ukrainian side is willing and ready to conduct dialogue and negotiations with the Russian side. Of course, negotiations must be rational and have practical significance, aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace,” Kuleba said, as quoted by Mao Ning, a Chinese diplomatic representative.

The day before, Kuleba arrived in China for the first time since the beginning of the conflict. He became the highest-ranking Ukrainian official to have visited Beijing since the beginning of the conflict. The minister announced a discussion of ways to peacefully resolve the crisis. During the conversation, Wang Yi told his Ukrainian counterpart that the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine should take place at the negotiating table.

Dmytro Kuleba and Wang Yi talked for more than three hours.

Kremlin: Ukraine's message goes in unison with Russia's stance

The message from Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba about Ukraine's readiness and willingness to conduct dialogue and negotiations with the Russian side” goes "in unison” with Russia's position, Kremlin's official spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"The message itself is in unison with our position,” Peskov told reporters July 24.

In July, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his readiness to conduct a dialogue with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, despite the ban on such actions.

"Let's be honest, if we want to end the war, and we have all the strength to do this, and if the world is united around Ukraine, well, we will talk to those who decide everything in Russia,” Zelensky said.

In his opinion, the conflict should end as soon as possible.

"Of course, talking in one tone or another about dialogue is much better than talking about the intention to fight to the last Ukrainian,” the Kremlin responded to Zelensky.

The Russian Foreign Ministry linked Kyiv's statements with the upcoming elections in the United States.