Russia Signals Willingness for Ukraine Talks Resumption
(MENAFN) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that President Vladimir Putin expressed Russia’s readiness to resume direct peace negotiations with Ukraine during a recent phone conversation with US President Donald Trump.
“President Putin received the call of President Trump after that meeting, and he clearly stated that we are ready to continue the negotiations, direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, which started in Istanbul and already had three rounds convened there,” Lavrov told media in an interview aired Sunday.
Lavrov referred to the call between Putin and Trump following a high-profile Oval Office meeting that included Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and European leaders.
The Washington, DC summit took place shortly after the August 15 Alaska meeting between Putin and Trump. Lavrov noted that the Alaska summit did not cover a potential meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, saying the topic was “raised later as something which is kind of impromptu.”
Lavrov emphasized Putin’s message to Trump that any such high-level encounter “must be very well prepared.”
“And for this, we suggested to raise the level of delegations who were meeting and will be meeting in Istanbul to address specific issues which need to be brought to the attention of President Putin and Zelenskyy,” Lavrov explained.
Despite Moscow’s proposal during the recent Istanbul talks to form three specialized working groups tackling separate issues, Kyiv has yet to respond, Lavrov said.
Highlighting the shared desire for peace between Putin and Trump, Lavrov accused European officials of opposing progress, citing their reactions after the Alaska summit.
He emphasized that discussions regarding security guarantees linked to a Ukrainian settlement need to be based on mutual agreement.
Istanbul has hosted three rounds of peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine on May 16, June 2, and July 23, resulting in significant prisoner swaps and the exchange of draft memoranda that outline each side’s positions for a possible peace agreement.
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