Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was cited as saying on Friday that Russia’s position on the Ukraine conflict was unchanged and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s comments on maintaining strikes on Russian targets were unhelpful in preparing for new talks.
– Lavrov, addressing reporters on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in Atlanta, also said fundamental issues in relations between the US and Russia were unresolved as sanctions on Moscow remained in force and arms were still being provided for Kyiv.
– “Our position is known, but what Ukraine intends to bring to the negotiating table, I don’t know,” said Lavrov, quoted by Russian news agencies.
– He said Zelenskiy’s frequent comments that Ukraine was acquiring more weapons to strike Russian targets made preparation for new talks difficult.
– “This kind of attitude doesn’t really help much in preparing for negotiations,” Lavrov said.
– Both Russia and Ukraine have said they are willing to hold further three-sided talks with the US for the first time since early in the year.
– Zelenskiy said this week that he hoped that a trilateral meeting with peace negotiators would take place in Abu Dhabi between November 6 and 10. He said Kyiv also wanted Europe to be involved in the talks on how to end the war.
– Lavrov said Russia’s position on the conflict “was unchanged from the very start of the special military operation,” as Moscow calls its military campaign in Ukraine.
– Moscow, he said, could not accept Ukraine as a “military threat to the lawful security interests of the Russian Federation”.
– On relations with Washington, Lavrov said: “Fundamental issues are not being resolved. Sanctions remain, all the sanctions from (former President Joe) Biden are echoed by the current administration.”
– He said US cooperation in sharing intelligence with Ukraine had grown, while arms supplies were continuing, pointing to a State Department announcement on Friday that it had approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine.
– Foreign ministers at the G20 have skipped the traditional group photo in Atlanta, with some making it clear they objected to appearing with Lavrov.