Ukraine predicts difficult negotiations with Russia on a number of issues

Negotiations between Moscow and Kiev on the settlement of the conflict will be very difficult. This opinion was expressed by Ukrainian Minister for Strategic Industries Yuriy Sak in an interview with CNBC on February 13.

"We understand very well that some issues will be difficult to resolve, if not impossible, such as Ukraine's membership in NATO," he said.

In addition, according to Sak, the negotiations will be "unprecedentedly difficult" for Kiev. He added that the Ukrainian side should "act reasonably" during the dialog.

Sense of contact: Putin and Trump agree on diplomatic solution to Ukraine crisis

In an hour and a half, they also discussed prisoner exchanges, the situation in the Middle East and the Iran nuclear deal

On February 12, Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the two leaders discussed many topics, including the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict. Trump, in turn, shared that united with Putin in the opinion that Washington and Moscow will be able to get more benefit from working together.

Prior to that, on February 11, the American president said that the White House administration's close contacts with Moscow and Kiev over the past week had resulted in significant progress in the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict.