KIEV, November 18 (Sputnik) – Kiev has invited Moscow to hold “serious talks” in a neutral territory to discuss the situation in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said Tuesday.
“We invite Russia to hold serious talks on the issue in a neutral territory,” Yatsenyuk said after a meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg in Kiev.
According to the Ukrainian prime minister, the resolution of the Donbas conflict rests on the will of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"It all depends on Russian president, primarily, and on his surroundings, if he wishes and has enough political will to stop this war in Ukraine," Yatsenyuk said.
The conflict in Ukraine escalated in mid-April, when Kiev launched a military operation against independence supporters in eastern Ukraine who refused to recognize the new government that came to power following a coup in February.
Ukrainian authorities and Western nations accused Moscow of meddling in Ukraine's internal affairs and escalating the crisis, although Russia has denied any involvement in the conflict.
Moscow has contributed to the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Donbas by acting as a mediator at talks in the Belarusian capital of Minsk, which resulted in a ceasefire agreement between Kiev-backed forces and independence supporters from Ukraine's eastern regions. Russian politicians have repeatedly stated that Moscow is interested in Ukraine overcoming its political and economic crisis.
