MOSCOW, August 10. /TASS/. Russia is open to any constructive proposals to settle the conflict in Ukraine that take Moscow’s legitimate interests into account, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said in an interview with TASS.

Asked whether there were prospects for resuming negotiations in the Istanbul and Geneva formats, the senior diplomat said that "the political and diplomatic path to resolving the Ukrainian crisis has always been and remains our preferred option." "Previous contacts involving our representatives stalled through no fault of Moscow," he added.

Galuzin emphasized that Russia’s principles and approaches "on which a long-term and fair settlement should be based have not changed." "They were set out by Russian President Vladimir Putin in his address to the Russian Foreign Ministry on June 14, 2024. We are open to any constructive proposals that would take into account these positions dictated by objective reality and our country’s legitimate security interests," the deputy foreign minister said.

He recalled that the Istanbul format had been thwarted in 2022 by then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who urged Kiev to "just fight." Contacts in Istanbul, resumed in 2025 at the initiative of the Russian president, were halted by Kiev on the grounds of a "lack of progress," Galuzin added.