Russian Defense Minister Serghei Shoigu and his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu discussed the possibility of talks on the Ukrainian conflict. "Readiness for dialogue on Ukraine was noted.
Starting points could be based on the Istanbul Peace Initiative," the Russian ministry said. "Moscow must understand that it cannot achieve its goals on the battlefield and so accept a negotiation that recognizes Ukraine as a sovereign and independent nation," Stoltenberg explained. The negotiations are only at the beginning and the time horizon for arriving at practical decisions is that of the Washington summit, scheduled for July.