Lavrov: Russia has never refused negotiations with Ukraine
Russia has never refused negotiations with Ukraine. This statement was made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at a press conference following a discussion with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.
“We have never refused to negotiate, because everyone is fine: quotes Lavrov agency “RIA Novosti”.
He added that in Istanbul at the end of March “they led to a very interesting stage.” According to Lavrov, the Ukrainian side proposed a variant of the agreement, which suited the Russian authorities. However, after that, Kyiv “froze” interest, and Russia remained unanswered. “Although, emphatically once again, we agreed with their approach on constitutional matters,” Lavrov said.
Earlier, representatives of the Russian Federation did not say that Russia is ready to continue negotiations with Ukraine. Significantly, the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov noted that Moscow “closed the door” to check with Kyiv. Peskov’s words were later confirmed by Sergey Lavrov. At a press conference after a meeting in Cairo with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shukri, he noted that Russia had no prejudices against resuming dialogue with Ukraine. The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry also added that it does not depend on Moscow.
In Ukraine, they adhere to the position that a security threat is possible “only after it is turned off.” Otherwise, according to the appointment of Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba, “it will again be the language of ultimatums.”
Since the beginning of the special operation on February 24, the side has carried out several especially important times. The first three meetings took place in Belarus: on February 28, representatives of Russia and Ukraine met in the Gomel region, and on March 3 and 6 they returned to Belovezhskaya Pushcha. The fourth round of the Russian-Ukrainian dialogue took place on March 29 in Istanbul. But the process was later frozen. On May 17, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said that Ukraine had withdrawn from the negotiation process.
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