Kremlin says expecting talks with Ukraine to continue on Thurs, Russian delegation ready to 'work around the clock'

MOSCOW. March 17 (Interfax) - Russia-Ukraine talks are due to continue on Thursday, and the Russian delegation is ready to work around the clock, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"[The negotiations] are due [to continue] today. I do not know whether they are in progress, but they are supposed to continue in particular areas today," Peskov said at a press briefing on Thursday in response to the relevant question.

"The delegation led by [presidential aide Vladimir] Medinsky and comprising experts from respective agencies is ready to work around the clock and is demonstrating such readiness," he said.

"Unfortunately, we do not see similar zeal from the Ukrainian side," Peskov said.

According to Peskov,tThe report about the ongoing negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow published recently by the Financial Times was a compilation of earlier issued statements, and despite containing several actual positions, was incorrect in general.

"This report contains a lot of compilations of earlier published information, about the topics that are currently on the agenda. But it's compiled all wrong, and this [report] is essentially incorrect. There are correct elements there, but this is not true in general," Peskov told reporters.

He expressed hope that Kyiv would not stall the settlement talks, considering that the approval of a joint document can quickly put an end to the events unfolding in Ukraine.

"Our delegation is taking huge efforts and demonstrating much greater readiness for conducting negotiations in the emergency mode than our Ukrainian vis-a-vis," Peskov said.

"Our terms are crystal-clear, they are clearly formulated and fully relayed to the Ukrainian negotiators," he said.

"At the same time, we are aware of the style of negotiations, which is quite unhurried. We are well familiar with and we remember this style well from when we were expecting Ukraine to fulfill its obligations under the Minsk Package of Measures. Back then, the process was unhurried and eventually lead into the current dead-end," Peskov said.

"We very much hope this style will not apply to these talks. We are still expecting [the Ukrainian side] to finally exhibit energetic participation. It is the conclusion of such a document, an agreement on all parameters, which are absolutely clear, and their implementation that can quickly put an end to what's going on," he said.