MOSCOW, February 27. /TASS/. The United States and Ukraine discussed their positions in Geneva ahead of trilateral talks with Russia; the United States and Iran resumed indirect talks in Geneva; and Iceland plans to hold a referendum on European Union membership. These stories topped Friday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
In Geneva, representatives of Kiev and Washington held face-to-face discussions on Ukraine’s future reconstruction before a trilateral dialogue with Moscow. Overall, such a bilateral format is standard practice, particularly given the United States’ mediating role, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry for Crimes of the Kiev Regime Rodion Miroshnik told Izvestia. At the same time, Ukraine continues to make public statements that are unacceptable for a settlement, and this should be taken into account, he added. Experts noted that the peace dialogue remains at a technical level for now due to the parties’ unwillingness to take political steps. The primary stumbling blocks remain the status of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant and the territorial issue.
Despite the limited amount of publicly available details, there is no hidden agenda behind these negotiations, and Russia likely has little to fear. Such bilateral meetings are standard practice, particularly considering that the United States is acting as a mediator in the peace process, Miroshnik emphasized.
