MOSCOW, July 23. /TASS/. Even as Moscow is open to negotiations, it presses ahead with the special military operation as the European Union prods Kiev to continue the war, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"We remain open to the negotiation process, but in a situation where the Kiev regime is being prodded by European capitals to continue the war, we, too, are pressing ahead with our special military operation as we are observing a positive momentum for us there," he maintained.

The Russian presidential spokesman forwarded questions about Thursday’s meeting in Manila between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Russia’s Foreign Ministry. "I’d like to reiterate that the Foreign Ministry reiterated our position about preparedness for a peaceful resolution process," he added.

The talks between the two top diplomats in Manila lasted a little over 30 minutes. According to Russia’s MFA, Lavrov briefed Rubio on how things stand on the line of engagement as he emphasized that pumping Ukraine with more weapons is unacceptable. In addition, Lavrov and Rubio discussed efforts to normalize the functioning of the two countries’ diplomatic missions.