OREANDA-NEWS  In order to achieve a long-term settlement of the conflict in Ukraine, Kiev must return to the foundations of statehood in the early 1990s. Alexey Polishchuk, Director of the Second CIS Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, told RIA Novosti journalists about this.

The diplomat stressed that a truly comprehensive, fair and sustainable settlement is possible only if the root causes of the Ukrainian issue are eradicated. Ukraine needs to return to the foundations of its statehood, when the international community recognized its independence, Polishchuk added.

Earlier, a Turkish diplomatic source said that Ankara was counting on the resumption of an active negotiation process on the Ukrainian settlement. Turkey will closely monitor the imminent arrival of the US President's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Moscow.