RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Russia ready for new talks with Ukraine – Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow is prepared for a third round of negotiations with Kiev, adding that the talks should center on proposed agreements to resolve the Ukraine conflict.

The president made the remarks on Friday in Minsk, following a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council. Asked by reporters how the settlement process was progressing – and when a third round of talks with Ukraine might take place – Putin said the heads of both negotiating teams remain in constant contact, speaking regularly by phone.

He added that draft proposals from both Russia and Ukraine should form the basis of the next round of negotiations, the time and venue for which still need to be agreed on.

”These are two completely opposing documents. But that’s exactly what negotiations are for – to look for ways to bridge the gap. The fact that they’re polar opposites isn’t surprising in my view,” Putin said. ”I’d rather not go into details, because I believe it’s neither appropriate nor helpful to get ahead of the negotiations themselves.”

During the previous round of direct negotiations in Istanbul earlier this month, Russian and Ukrainian representatives exchanged draft memorandums outlining their respective visions for a road map toward a peace deal and agreed to exchange prisoners of war. Moscow also unilaterally decided to repatriate the bodies of slain Ukrainian troops as a humanitarian gesture.

Since then, Moscow has handed over 6,000 bodies to Kiev and is ready to return nearly 3,000 more, Putin said. “But it’s now up to the Ukrainian side to accept the remains of their fallen soldiers,” he added. ”We agreed that once this stage is completed, we would hold a third round of negotiations. Overall, we’re ready – we just need to agree on the time and place.”

Putin thanked his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for supporting the negotiation process, saying he expects Ankara to maintain its stance. “We’re ready to hold the meeting in Istanbul,” he added.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine says it hits four warplanes in Russia's Volgograd region

Ukraine's military said on Friday it had struck four warplanes at an airbase in central Russia's Volgograd Region as part of a drive to hit Russian war assets.

In a post on the Telegram messaging app, the military said it had hit four Su-34 aircraft at the Marinovka base outside the city of Volgograd, some 900 km (550 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The post said the operation was conducted by the military's special operations branch, together with the SBU security service and other services of the military.

"According to preliminary information, four aircraft were hit, specifically SU-34 planes, as well as technical-operational facilities where different warplanes are serviced and repaired," the statement said.

There was no immediate comment from the Russian military.

Ukraine has engaged in a number of long-range operations against military targets in recent months -- industrial, energy and other sites.

Earlier this month, the Ukrainian military carried out a major strike, dubbed "Operation Spider's Web," in which large numbers of long-range Russian bombers were hit at several Russian airbases far from Ukrainian territory.

The latest statement said the damage caused by the strike on Marinovka was being assessed.

It described the Su-34 as Russia's main aircraft used in bombing raids on Ukrainian territory, deployed in particular for launching guided bombs, used increasingly in attacks on Ukrainian cities.

RT/Reuters