The Kremlin ruled Sunday “impossible” to isolate Russia in the contemporary world, at a time when the country is targeted by a series of unprecedented Western sanctions because of its military intervention in Ukraine.
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“There can be no isolation from Russia, it is technologically impossible in the contemporary world,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov assured in an interview with Russian public television channel Rossia 1, excerpts from which were published by Russian news agencies.
“Russia itself is much bigger than Europe,” he added.
International sanctions have been mounting against Russia since the start of its military operation in Ukraine on February 24.
“But sooner or later we will have to establish a dialogue, whether someone across the Atlantic wants it or not,” Mr. Peskov stressed.
He also recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin “never refused to meet” his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to find a solution aimed at ending hostilities in Ukraine.
“Hypothetically, such a meeting is possible,” said Mr. Peskov, while stressing that the Russian and Ukrainian delegations participating in the peace negotiations must first work out a “concrete” agreement supposed to normalize relations between the two countries.
“Not a number of ideas, but a concrete written document,” he insisted.
The chief Russian negotiator, Vladimir Medinski, estimated earlier in the day that it was very early for the time to organize a meeting between MM. Putin and Zelensky.