Russia ready to resume talks with Ukraine when Kyiv responds to its documents - Deputy FM

MOSCOW. May 24 (Interfax) - Moscow will be ready to resume talks with Kyiv when Kyiv takes a constructive stand and responds to the documents presented to it by Moscow, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said.

"It was not our initiative to freeze the current stage of negotiations and to pause everything. We will be ready to come back as soon as Ukraine takes a constructive stance and at least responds to the documents presented to it by us," Rudenko told reporters on Monday.

Rudenko also called for the restrictions imposed on Russian export to be lifted, saying it would help resume the supply of grain to the world's markets.

"The restrictions imposed on Russian export need to be lifted. If they tell us these sanctions don't affect food and fertilizers, it's not quite so because there are issues associated with payments for such supply, there are insurance issues, there are issues associated with access of Russian ships to European ports and other ports and with the access of European ships to our ports. Therefore, these issues need to be solved in a comprehensive way," he said, in particular, responding to a question as to how Russia sees the settlement of the issue of ships with grain blocked in Ukrainian ports.