MOSCOW, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Russian and Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday that negotiations on a solution to the current crisis have been suspended as the process is mired in stalemate.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko told reporters, "The talks are not going on. Ukraine has actually withdrawn from the negotiation process."
He added that Russia has received no response from Ukraine to its draft treaty.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that 265 militants have laid down arms and surrendered at Azovstal in the past 24 hours, including 51 seriously wounded.
Also on Tuesday, Russia announced that it has decided to pull out of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS).
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, "The states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union as part of the CBSS have abandoned equal dialogue and principles on which this regional organization was created, and are consistently turning it into an instrument of anti-Russian policy."
Produced by Xinhua Global Service
