ADDS MORE REMARKS BY KREMLIN SPOKESMAN
By Elena Teslova
MOSCOW (AA) - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov agreed on Monday with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan who urged the creation of an international peace platform with the broad participation of various countries in the interests of resolving the Ukrainian conflict.
Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Peskov emphasized that Russian President Vladimir Putin has always been "a staunch supporter" of diplomatic settlement of the conflict.
"You know that President Putin is a staunch supporter of prioritizing diplomatic efforts to find a solution to the Ukrainian conflict. Of course, we have never refused to negotiate. On the contrary, we have always favored negotiations involving all interested parties. While there is no such platform currently, you can only agree with Mr. Fidan on this point," he said.
Speaking at the Informal Summit of the Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States in Shusha, Azerbaijan on Saturday, Fidan called for a broadened peace effort and a diplomatic platform to mitigate polarization in the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
About Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's visit to Moscow, Peskov said Russia highly values Orban's efforts toward resolving the Ukrainian conflict, considering the positions of both sides.
Peskov acknowledged the significant disagreements between the parties, but noted: "At least, Mr. Orban is making a very serious attempt to understand the essence of these differences, which is highly appreciated."
Asked if Russian President Vladimir Putin had requested Orban to convey a message to US President Joe Biden or other participants of the July 9-11 NATO summit in Washington, Peskov said: "No."
Regarding Iran's presidential election on Friday, Peskov expressed Russia's wishes for success to the new head of state, Masoud Pezeshkian, and anticipated the continued development of positive and allied relations between the two countries, highlighting the "very positive dynamics" in deepening cooperation across various fields.
On the results of the parliamentary election in France, Peskov said Russia does not have "special hopes or illusions" for improving relations with Paris, despite the ruling forces losing ground.
"The victory of political forces that would support efforts to restore our bilateral relations is definitely better for Russia. But so far, we don't see such a pronounced political will from anyone," he emphasized.
Russia will be closely monitoring the process of forming a government in France and has observed a "certain drift" in voter preferences, Peskov concluded.