Russia says no changes in position on Ukrainian settlement yet

MOSCOW

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that Moscow and Washington are not working on any changes on the issue of the Ukrainian settlement.

Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Peskov said the base of the settlement remains the same that was discussed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump at the Aug. 15 meeting in Alaska.

"So far, there are no changes in this case that could be reported to you. There were discussions in Anchorage, and in addition to what was discussed in Anchorage, there are no changes," he said.

Asked about plans to contact US Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll after his visit to Kyiv, Peskov said: "No, as far as I know, there are no plans in this regard."

On Wednesday, Driscoll arrived in Ukraine to meet government officials, with media reports claiming he plans to have discussions with Russian officials later.

Commenting on a new corruption scandal in Ukraine, in which officials are accused of taking kickbacks from projects in the energy sector, Peskov said European countries "feel the toxicity of the Kyiv regime."

"It is certain that the toxicity of the Kyiv regime is evident here. This toxicity is being felt in Europe, they are obviously experiencing serious discomfort. We are seeing a lot of such fussy actions around this topic now. Well, let's see how the situation develops," he said.

In response to Poland's decision to close the Russian Consulate General in the city of Gdansk, the last consulate currently operating in the country, Peskov said Poland is trying to nullify diplomatic relations with Russia, and Moscow can only express regret in this regard.

The decision to revoke the consulate general's work permit was announced on Wednesday by Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski. But, he said, Warsaw is not going to sever diplomatic relations with Moscow.

On Warsaw's claims that the Ukrainians involved in the bombing of a railway in Poland were allegedly linked to Russian special services, Peskov said the Polish authorities associate any problem exclusively with Russia.

"This desire is constant among the members of the Polish leadership. This is an obvious fact, unfortunately, there is nothing we can do here," he said, adding that "these accusations are always absolutely baseless and unfounded."

On Nov. 16, in the Masovian Voivodeship, the train driver discovered damage to the railway tracks leading to the Dorokhusk border crossing on the border with Ukraine.

Polish authorities said two Ukrainian citizens allegedly linked to the Russian special services had been identified as perpetrators of the sabotage.