Decision on next round of Russia-Ukraine talks should be made shortly - Duma's Slutsky

MOSCOW. May 16 (Interfax) - A decision on the next round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine could be made very soon, Leonid Slutsky, head of the Russian State Duma International Affairs Committee, said on Friday evening.

"It's a matter of days if not hours. Then there'll be a response from the other side, and that's when we'll be able to speak of a second round of the negotiations and the date of this second round," Slutsky said on the Rossiya-24 (VGTRK) television channel on Friday.

The next round of the talks will be arranged when Moscow and Kiev reach an understanding about a ceasefire mechanism, he said.

"We're working quickly and energetically. We don't need to waste time. Every hour means someone's lives," he said.

There is every chance now that the next negotiating round could be "pivotal," he said.