Ukraine urges Russia's troop pullback to resume talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country stands ready to resume talks on settling the conflict with Russia after Russian forces return to the positions they held before Feb. 24, reported Xinhua, quoting the Ukrinform news agency on Friday.

"They need to withdraw to those temporary contact lines or dividing lines - they must withdraw troops there. Then we can start the full-scale talks," Zelensky was quoted as saying.

He emphasized that "not all the bridges" for peace talks with Russia have been destroyed.

The Ukrainian and Russian delegations held their latest round of in-person peace negotiations in Istanbul, Turkey in late March.