If negotiations between Moscow and Kiev resume, they will most likely be direct and without the participation of mediators, the director of the second department of CIS countries at the Russian Foreign Ministry, Aleksey Polishchuk, has said. TASS reported.

“If and when these contacts are resumed, they are likely to be direct as well. And this would be the best option,” he said.

The diplomat explained that practice shows that Western mediators often pursue their own goals and try to influence the course of negotiations not for the purpose of conflict resolution, but for their own political and economic interests.

Polischuk emphasized that in 2022, the negotiations with the Ukrainian side were exactly direct and took place at venues that were “kindly provided” for representatives of Moscow and Kiev. He recalled that in February-April there were three meetings in Belarus and one in Turkey, and then there were almost daily contacts via video link.

“These were direct talks with the Ukrainians,” the diplomat emphasized.