MOSCOW, April 8 (RIA Novosti), – Moscow is prepared to consider multilateral negotiations on the situation in Ukraine involving the US and EU, but a date has not yet been agreed for the talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday.

US Secretary of State, John Kerry, proposed holding talks on the crisis-hit country within the next 10 days in a telephone conversation with Lavrov on Monday, State Department spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, said.

“It’s true, we are ready to consider a multi-party format with representatives from Europe, the United States, Russia and Ukraine,” Lavrov said during a joint press conference in Moscow with his Angolan counterpart, Georges Rebelo Chicoti.

Lavrov added however that the sides have not yet discussed any specific date. “We need to understand the format and agenda of this meeting,” the Russian foreign minister said.

The initiative comes after demonstrators demanding broader autonomy in the country seized local government buildings over the weekend in the southeastern Ukrainian cities of Donetsk, Kharkiv and Lugansk.

Lavrov urged the US to avoid shifting the blame onto Moscow for the ongoing political turmoil in the country.

He said the southern and eastern Ukrainian regions should take part in the talks, adding that ignoring their concerns would rule out the talks being productive.