MOSCOW -- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that negotiations with Ukraine are on pause.

Asked about possible talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Peskov said expert-level discussions could lay the groundwork for any higher-level contact.

He stressed that such meetings "cannot be an end in themselves," adding they would not resolve what he called a complex and difficult problem.

Russia remains open to resolving the conflict through diplomacy and political dialogue, Peskov said.