Russia welcomes new Zelenskiy stance on talks

Russia has responded favourably to comments by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on possible negotiations to end the ongoing war between the two countries.

"This is better than statements that any contacts with the Russian side and with the Russian head of state are excluded," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in Moscow.

"Of course talking in one tone or another about dialogue is much better than talking about the intention to fight to the last Ukrainian."

In an interview with the BBC, Zelenskiy said earlier that he could also talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin although he had previously excluded this possibility by decree.

In the interview, Zelenskiy reaffirmed his willingness in principle to negotiate with Russian representatives at a new peace summit.

"And whether it will be Putin or not makes no difference," he said.

Russia previously ruled out Zelenskiy attending any peace summit and also questioned his legitimacy as president.

Now, however, Peskov said it remained to be seen what exactly was behind Zelenskiy's latest remarks.

Ukraine has been defending itself against Russia's all-out invasion since February 2022.

In response to Russia's annexation of the Ukrainian regions of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk in the autumn of 2022, Zelenskiy issued a decree that Ukraine would not hold peace talks with Russia while Putin was president.

Peskov also made it clear that Russia was taking a wait-and-see approach following US President Joe Biden's withdrawal from the US presidential election campaign.

As long as Biden remains in office, nothing will change in terms of US aid for Ukraine, which will prolong the war, according to the spokesman.

"Nothing good is to be expected," Peskov said of Biden.

Russia's priority is to pursue its own goals in the neighbouring country to the end, he added.

Nevertheless, the future of Russia-US relations is of huge importance to officials in Moscow because they are "now going through the worst time in their history".

Peskov was also cautious about the role of US Vice President Kamala Harris, who Biden had endorsed as his replacement in the 2024 race on the Democratic ticket.

So far, she had not distinguished herself through any concrete contribution to the relationship between the two countries but only through rather unfriendly remarks about Russia, he said.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will travel to China for a three-day trip starting on Tuesday, Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Kuleba's visit comes at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the ministry said.

The chief topic of the talks will be ending Russia's attacks on Ukraine and China's role in achieving an enduring and just peace, it said.

The Kremlin reacted cautiously to the announcement of the visit.

"For us, our relations with China are the main thing," Peskov said.

"We intend to continue following the path of developing Russian-Chinese relations in all areas."

Ukraine has repeatedly tried to get China on its side despite the "no limits" partnership declared by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin in February 2022.