Putin Taking Wait-And-See Stance On Ukraine - Kremlin

VLADIVOSTOK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th June, 2019) Russian President Vladimir Putin is taking a wait-and-see stance on Ukraine, as it is still unclear how Ukraine's new president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, will deal with implementation of the Minsk agreements on Donbas settlement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"As you know, president Putin said that for him the best criterion would be to understand the approaches of the new president of Ukraine to the main issues on the agenda of the Russian-Ukrainian relations. At first, this includes the generally unfriendly position of Ukraine in relation to Russia, and at second, this is, of course, the position of Ukraine with regard to the Minsk agreements. There is still no understanding of how Zelenskyy will deal with this. Therefore, Putin is taking a wait-and-see position," Peskov said while shown by Rossiya 1 broadcaster.

According to the spokesman, the Kremlin has some optimism, but there is no understanding of what will happen next in Kiev.

"In general, the approach is positive and there is restrained optimism, but, unfortunately, no one has a clear understanding of what will happen next in Kiev," he noted.

Relations between Russia and Ukraine deteriorated in 2014, when the conflict in Ukraine's Donbas region erupted in the wake of what many considered to be a coup that brought former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to power. The same year, Crimea rejoined Russia as a result of a referendum, which was opposed by Kiev, despite Moscow insisting that the vote was held in line with international law.

However, Zelenskyy, who was sworn in last month, has repeatedly hinted on some new policies and approaches of his administration in various areas, including relations with Moscow. Particularly, his administration has not ruled out possible telephone talks between Zelenskyy and Putin.