President Vladimir Putin said that Ukraine is trying to "buy time" to negotiate with Russia, although Moscow wants to continue the dialogue.
"The Ukrainian authorities are trying to do everything possible to delay the negotiations, making more and more unrealistic proposals," the Kremlin announced after a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor. Olaf Scholz on March 18.
"However, the Russian side is ready to continue to seek solutions in accordance with its principled approaches," the Kremlin added.
Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the phone call between Putin and Scholz as "harsh", but added that such conversations were still necessary.
Mr. Peskov said that it was still early to talk about an agreement that Russian and Ukrainian negotiators could sign.
"I can only say that the Russian delegation is ready to work at a much faster pace than at present. Unfortunately, the Ukrainian delegation is not ready to accelerate the pace of negotiations," Peskov told reporters. .
Russia earlier said the two sides were close to agreeing on how to maintain Ukraine's neutrality, one of Moscow's key demands for Kiev.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has said it is ready to negotiate but will not surrender or accept Russia's ultimatums. Kiev has maintained its stance on Ukraine's sovereignty over areas controlled by pro-Russian separatists since 2014.
In a phone call with Prime Minister Scholz, President Putin also emphasized that the Russian military is "doing its best" to rescue civilians through safe corridors during the military operation in Ukraine. The Kremlin said about 43,000 people were evacuated from the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol on March 17.
A German government spokesman said Scholz had called for a ceasefire in Ukraine during a phone call with Putin. Scholz also stressed that the humanitarian situation needs to be improved and the parties need to make progress in finding a diplomatic solution as soon as possible.
In a phone call with Putin on March 18, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed "concern" about the situation in Mariupol, which has been subjected to intense bombing raids in recent days.
Macron's office said the French leader called for "the lifting of the siege and for humanitarian access" to the city of Mariupol to ensure the safety of its people.
The French president also "demands once again to respect the immediate ceasefire" in Ukraine.
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