Russia views trilateral talks with the U.S. and Ukraine positively, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday, adding that the negotiation process is complex but that all parties have agreed to continue the talks.
Peskov said that representatives from the three countries at the trilateral talks discussed the complex issues related to a peace deal at the expert level. Overall, this can be regarded as progress and marks the beginning of dialogue, he said.
The prospects for the negotiations will depend on the specific positions of all parties, and Russia will continue to maintain an open attitude towards conducting the negotiations, Peskov added.
Representatives of Ukraine, the United States and Russia held their first trilateral meeting since the start of the Ukraine crisis on Friday and Saturday in Abu Dhabi.
On Saturday, Russian and Ukrainian representatives engaged directly during the talks. No concrete agreement or joint statement was announced following the two-day talks.
The next trilateral meeting is planned for Feb 1 in Abu Dhabi, according to Peskov.
US-Russia-Ukraine talks complex, but will continue: Russian spokesman
Finland's Ambassador to China Mikko Kinnunen briefed media on the outcomes of Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's four-day visit to China which concluded on Wednesday.
Speaking to journalists at the Finnish Embassy in the Chinese capital Beijing on Wednesday, Kinnunen said the two countries enjoy a solid relationship, and that the prime minister's visit was aimed at deepening mutual understanding and fostering more cooperation.
"Finland and China have very long, strong, solid relations because we have constant dialogue also between the top leaders of our countries," said Kinnunen.
Finland was among the earliest countries to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. Prime Minister Orpo's visit reaffirmed the political trust built over more than seven decades of bilateral ties.
"Visit was successful for Finland. Our prime minister had meetings with President Xi, Premier Li, as well as with the Speaker of the NPC, Mr. Zhao Leji. It is extremely important to be able to convey Finland's views and policies on certain important issues. And it is important to learn what does China think," Kinnunen said.
China is Finland's largest trading partner in Asia, while Finland is China's third-largest partner in the Nordic region.
During Orpo's visit, the two sides signed 11 agreements between companies, along with six memorandums of understanding between their governments.
"Company agreements signed, the immediate value of them, I think, was a double-digit number in euros. We speak of millions. Government to government memorandums of understanding - there was a rather traditional one related to animal diseases and export of meat, pork, chicken. There was another one, which I think is very modern, has to do with sustainable building," said Kinnunen.
Finnish ambassador on outcomes of Finnish PM's China visit
