Kremlin says no Russia-U.S. consultations underway on Ukraine settlement

MOSCOW, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Moscow and Washington keep in touch, but there are no consultations on Ukraine, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.

"There are certainly contacts. But a process that could be called consultations -- no, it's not underway," Peskov told reporters, commenting on potential consultations on achieving peace in Ukraine.

Peskov said Russia remains open to the Ukraine settlement, but it must lead to the "elimination of the root causes of this conflict."

He added that "any time" is opportune to resolve the conflict through political and diplomatic means.

Previously, media reports cited sources as saying that the United States is developing a new proposal to resolve the conflict in Ukraine and is holding consultations with Russia on it. Enditem