OREANDA-NEWS Moscow is not abandoning negotiations with Kiev and is ready to consider constructive proposals, including on new formats of contacts, the Izvestia newspaper reported on Monday, citing Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin.

"Russian officials have said many times that we are always open to negotiations. It was the Ukrainian side that interrupted them and even forbade them to itself. We have never refused to consider constructive proposals, including on contact formats. Will such ideas arrive? It doesn't depend on us," the newspaper quoted the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister as saying.

Today, the resumption of the negotiation process is hampered not only by the diametrically opposed positions of the parties and difficulties in finding a neutral platform, but also by the destructive line of some Western states, which continue to fuel the conflict with large-scale arms supplies, the article says.