Russian Officials Value The Memorandum Of Understanding Of The Peace Treaty Depends On Russia's Attitude

JAKARTA - Russia said on Tuesday Ukraine should decide whether to cooperate or not in discussing a memorandum of understanding ahead of possible future peace agreements that Moscow has discussed with the United States.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, after calling President Donald Trump, said Moscow was ready to cooperate with Ukraine to create a memorandum of understanding about the peace agreement in the future and that efforts to end the war in Ukraine are on the right track.

President Putin said discussions on the memorandum of understanding would cover principles of completion and time and the definition of a possible ceasefire, including its timeframe.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova said she hoped Ukraine would take what she called a constructive position related to possible talks about the memorandum of understanding proposed for "her own survival".

"Now, therefore, the ball is in Kyiv's hands," Zakharova told reporters, adding it was an important moment.

He said that after President Putin proposed direct peace negotiations with Ukraine, European ally Kyiv had tried to prevent the resumption of direct dialogue, but Europeans ultimately failed.

Regarding the newly announced EU sanctions, Zakharova said Russia would never bow to ultimatums from anyone, adding that it was clear that Europe wanted to reactivate Ukraine to continue the war.