Moscow, Mar 9 (IANS): Moscow is interested in holding the next rounds of peace talks with Kiev as soon as Ukrainian negotiators are ready, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

Russia has conveyed its position clearly to the Ukrainian side during the previous three rounds of negotiations, Peskov told a daily briefing, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We urge the Ukrainian side to make every effort to ensure the safe evacuation of civilians. We expect a more significant step forward during the next rounds of negotiations," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a weekly press conference.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will fly to Turkey's Antalya on Wednesday to attend a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on Thursday, she said.

Peskov called the upcoming meeting between the top diplomats "an important continuation of the negotiation process".

Ukrainian and Russian delegations have held three rounds of peace talks in Belarus since last week, though the negotiations ended without a significant breakthrough.