The Kremlin said on Wednesday expressed optimism for progress between Kiev and pro-Russian separatists after French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Ukraine. The two sides have been in an uneasy deadlock since 2014.
"There have been positive signals about Ukraine's decision to act on the basis of the Minsk agreements," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Moscow accuses Ukraine of refusing to implement the 2015 Minsk agreements that should lead to an end to the war in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, which the UN says has killed around 13,000 people in eight years.
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Peskov was reacting to the remarks of Ukrainian President Zelensky, who received Macron on Tuesday. The visit followed talks between Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin that aimed to diffuse tensions between Russia and Western powers.
Moscow has positioned over 100,000 troops on the Ukrainian border. So far, efforts to de-escalate the crisis had been unsuccessful.
On Thursday, representatives of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany are due to meet in Berlin to attempt to relaunch the peace process in Donbas.
