The latest round of contacts on so-called “painful issues” has taken place. It was held at the working level. We had the opportunity to discuss the entire agenda in a fairly serious, professional, and in-depth manner.
“I can’t say that significant progress has been made. There are some areas where progress has been made, but the core issues remain unresolved. And I think additional efforts will be required. I wouldn’t rule out political momentum for moving forward. The goal is for the next round to take place tentatively—I emphasize, since there are no specific dates—in early spring,” Ryabkov said.