Moscow [Russia], May 24: Russia will be ready to hand Ukraine a draft document outlining conditions for a long-term peace accord once a prisoner exchange now under way is completed, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
Lavrov, in statements on his ministry's website, said Russia was committed to working out a peaceful settlement in the more than three-year-old war pitting Moscow against Kyiv.
He also accused Ukraine of launching waves of drone attacks over several days on Russian targets that caused casualties and disrupted air traffic.
He suggested European countries had encouraged Kyiv to launch the attacks to undermine peace efforts led by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Russia and Ukraine each released 390 prisoners on Friday and said they would free more in the coming days, an initiative agreed in talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials in Turkey last week.
"We remain committed to a peace settlement. We are always open to talks.and let me stress that we are committed to the agreements that were achieved recently in Istanbul," Lavrov said.
"We are working actively on the second part of the agreements which call for preparation by each side of a draft document setting out the conditions for achieving a reliable, long-term agreement on a settlement."
"As soon as the exchange of prisoners of war is completed we will be ready to hand to the Ukrainian side a draft of such a document which the Russian side is now completing."
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation
