Ukraine rules out any deal allowing Russia to keep seized territory

KYIV : A senior Ukrainian official on Thursday reiterated Kyiv's rejection of any peace deal with Moscow that would allow Russia to keep Ukrainian territory seized by Russian forces.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan earlier on Thursday that Moscow was open to dialogue over Ukraine but that Kyiv would have to accept the loss of territories claimed by Russia, the Kremlin said.

"Axiom: why will it be impossible to make a deal with the Russian Federation?" Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter.

"The Russian Federation (Putin) under the word 'talks' offers Ukraine & the world to recognize 'its right to seize foreign territories' & 'to fix the absence of legal consequences for mass killings on foreign territory'. It's fully unacceptable."