The Kremlin said on Tuesday that it was too early to make predictions about the possible results of talks between Russia and Ukraine.
"The work is difficult and in the current situation the very fact that they are continuing is probably positive," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. "We don't want to make predictions. We await results."
Russia, Peskov said, was disappointed that Western officials had made no public statements about the killing of more than 20 people in the separatist-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.
Russia on Monday accused Ukraine of carrying out a missile attack on the city. Ukraine denied it and said the rocket used in the attack was Russian.