The press secretary of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Ukrainian authorities did not refuse negotiations, as Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said earlier..

" Ukraine was and remains ready to talk about a ceasefire and peace. This is our permanent position..

We agreed to the proposal of the President of the Russian Federation. During these hours, the parties consult on the place and time of the negotiation process.. The sooner negotiations begin, the more chances there will be to resume normal life,"

Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the Ukrainian authorities had postponed the issue of negotiations with Russia until Saturday.. The Ukrainian side allegedly abandoned the negotiations in Minsk and took a pause, which dragged on.