The Kremlin has accused the Ukrainian leadership of interrupting the Istanbul negotiation process for a possible peace solution.

“It is on hold because of the Kyiv regime’s unwillingness to respond in any way to the questions we have asked,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

He was speaking to Pavel Sarubin, a correspondent for Russian state television who is close to the Kremlin.

During the interview, Mr Peskov claimed that Ukraine has not responded to a draft document that includes a proposal to set up three working groups.

He said the Russian side is full of optimism regarding the spirit of Anchorage, referring to the summit held between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska in August.

The meeting did not produce any tangible results with regard to ending the conflict.

Mr Peskov said Kyiv is not contributing positively to the process, but Moscow hopes that Mr Trump will maintain the political will for a peaceful solution.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three and a half years ago.

Delegations from Moscow and Kyiv have met several times since May for direct negotiations in the Turkish city of Istanbul.

Several exchanges of prisoners and soldiers’ remains have been agreed upon, but Moscow has refused to make concessions on its core demands, and there appears to be no prospect of a peace deal in the near future.

(dpa/NAN)