Russia maintains its intention to resolve the conflict in Ukraine through political and diplomatic means, said Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian president, RIA Novosti reports.

There are no exact dates for a new meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian negotiating groups yet, but the heads of these negotiating groups are in touch, Peskov noted.

According to him, Russia hopes that US President Donald Trump's important mediation efforts towards a settlement in Ukraine will continue.

"The work on the Ukrainian issue between Russia and the US should be carried out in a non-public format in order to achieve results. The conflict in Ukraine is complex and was not provoked by Russia.

Security guarantees are one of the most important topics in the search for a settlement in Ukraine and are on the agenda.

At the same time, Russia negatively views discussions in Europe about the possibility of the presence of European troops on the territory of Ukraine," the Russian presidential press secretary noted.