The NATO chief said Thursday that Ukraine is ready to negotiate for peace, but the responsibility now lies with Moscow to respond meaningfully to Kyiv's willingness.

Axar.az reports, citing Anadolu Agency, "Ukraine is clearly ready to play ball, but that ball is now in the Russian court," Secretary General Mark Rutte told reporters during a press briefing in the southern Turkish city of Antalya, where a meeting of NATO foreign ministers is taking place.

"The Russians are sending a low-level delegation now and not taking up the opportunity President (Volodymyr) Zelensky has been providing. He said, 'I'm willing to sit with Putin as soon as the ceasefire is there, we are willing to negotiate a peace deal'."

Rutte reiterated that any future agreement on Ukraine must be credible and enduring, drawing lessons from the failures of past accords.

"It has to be lasting. It has to be durable. We cannot have a repeat of what happened in 2014-15, with the Minsk agreement (over conflict in Eastern Ukraine), which was basically challenged still when the ink was not dry," he said.

He also underlined the importance of international coordination and expressed appreciation for the growing number of initiatives supporting Ukraine, including the "coalition of the willing" that includes Turkiye.

"Clearly, Turkiye is playing an important role here," Rutte said, responding to a question about the host country of the current NATO meeting and also the peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.

"The convening power of Turkiye is clearly there. We can see it every day. And I think that is important," Rutte said.

Rutte also welcomed US engagement in Ukraine peace efforts.