Ihor Zhovkva, an aide to Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on Friday, the Ukraine-Russia talks are progressing only slowly, per Bloomberg TV.

On Wednesday, Zhovkva, said negotiations had become “more constructive” and that Russia had softened its stand by no longer airing its demands that Ukraine surrender. 

The change of stance by Zhovkva on the peace talks is unlikely to go down well with the market, as risk-off trades dominate this Friday.

The European stocks are in a sea of red while the S&P 500 futures are down 0.55% on the day.