Kiev must take ‘one serious step’ before new trilateral talks – Kremlin aide

Yury Ushakov was apparently referring to the withdrawal of the Ukrainian troops from the parts of Donbass they still control

Moscow sees no point in continuing the trilateral contacts with Ukraine and the US until Kiev makes “one serious step,” Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aide Yury Ushakov has said. The senior official was apparently referring to the withdrawal of the Ukrainian troops from the parts of Donbass still under Ukrainian control, a move long-demanded by Russia and consistently rejected by Kiev.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Ushakov admitted that the US-mediated contacts with Ukraine have halted to a grind following the latest meeting that was held in Geneva in February. Since then, the “American participants have been preoccupied with a different, more serious problem,” he added, apparently referring to the crisis in the Middle East.

The discussions have effectively boiled down to “one serious step” Kiev must take to greatly advance the settlement process. While Ushakov did not explicitly name said step, he was likely referring to the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from parts of Donbass they still control.

“Everyone understands, including, I would say, Ukrainian negotiators, that Kiev now needs to take just one serious step, after which, firstly, military action will cease, and secondly, prospects for serious discussions of a further long-term resolution of this issue will open,” Ushakov stated.

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