Progress made in understanding key elements of Ukrainian settlement — US State Department

WASHINGTON, May 14. /TASS/. The US administration believes that Moscow, Washington and Kiev have made important progress in understanding what the "core elements" of a sustainable Ukrainian settlement should look like, according to Christopher Smith, deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of European and Eurasian affairs at the US State Department. "These negotiations are live, they are happening and the engagement continues. I would point out that important progress has been made in the achievement of large-scale prisoner exchanges, in a greater understanding about core elements of what a secure peace will look like," he said at a hearing of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, commenting on dialogue between Moscow and Washington on a settlement in Ukraine. "But I am not positioned to comment further on the details," Smith added.