Kurt Volker, the special representative of the U.S. State Department for Ukraine Negotiations, is determined to continue contacts with the Russian side in order to resolve the situation in eastern Ukraine.

"I would like to contact the Russian side in the near future," he said at an Internet conference on Tuesday.

Volker recalled that during meetings earlier this year, "the Russians made clear that they did not see an opportunity for productive discussions during the course of the presidential campaign." "We'll have to see how it stands now during the course of this parliamentary campaign and when an appropriate time would be to meet and to follow up," he explained.

Speaking about the subject of negotiations, the American diplomat stated that this is "the war in Donbas." "We want to make sure that we are putting on the table all of the issues about Minsk implementation, starting with the ceasefire, withdrawal of foreign forces, the disarming of the illegal armed groups, and creating a situation of security in Donbas so that additional political steps that are also part of Minsk can be taken," he said.

Answering a question from a Russian journalist about how much pressure the U.S. can exert in order to force Ukraine to fulfill its obligations under the Minsk agreements, the diplomat recalled that Ukraine has already approved the necessary legislation. "Unfortunately, the problem with Minsk implementation is Russia's continued occupation of Eastern Ukraine and the ongoing fighting there, so it's impossible for Ukraine to go any further than it already has. Meanwhile, Russia has yet to fully implement a ceasefire, to withdraw its forces, the foreign forces that are in Ukraine. So there's a lot that Russia has to do to stop the war in Ukraine," he said.

In response to the question what the "red lines" might be in the matter of supporting Ukraine and continuing sanctions for Russia, Volker expressed confidence that this is a continuation of efforts aimed at the implementation of the Minsk accords. "Things that would go against that would be any recognition of the seizure of this territory by Russia, or that it is in some way independent. Autonomy is not a part of the Minsk agreements; it is a special status, and that is something to be developed still, but it is not full autonomy. And a continued presence of foreign forces on Ukrainian territory would also be a red line. So these are all things that I think are part of the Minsk agreements. There's nothing new that needs to be added here, but what we do need to see is that it is implemented," he said.

Volker reiterated the need in "assisting the people in Donbas." "Providing humanitarian relief to them is one of the most important tasks that needs to be addressed by both the Ukrainian Government and the international community more broadly," Volker said.

According to the ambassador, President Zelensky "has already spoken about this issue." "We do hope that there will be an opportunity ahead, but it may be after the parliamentary elections. They are Ukrainian citizens. They are suffering tremendously as a result of Russia's invasion and occupation. They need humanitarian support. I look forward to working with him and his team on reform and development in Ukraine, on Minsk implementation, on strengthening security for Ukraine, and raising the humanitarian standards for the people of the Donbas, and indeed, the well-being of all the people of Ukraine. And with President Zelensky's stated commitment to reform in Ukraine, fighting corruption, reforming the justice system, rule of law, we fully support those principles and those policies and look forward to continuing to work with him," Volker said.