The Kremlin said, “work continues between the delegations of Russia and Ukraine” when asked about a peace deal with Ukraine.

“We don't want to rush out predictions about talks with Ukraine but it is positive that the talks are continuing,” The Kremlin added in its statement.

Market reaction

Markets are reacting positively to the above statements from the Kremlin, as the S&P 500 futures is seeing a minor bounce, although still down 0.46% on the day. EUR/USD has recaptured 1.1000 while the AUD/USD pair struggles below 0.7200.