Russia expects negotiations with Ukraine to continue, - Lavrov
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov assures that Russia expects peace talks with Ukraine to continue.
The Russian minister made this statement in an interview with the Indonesian newspaper Kompas, according to Censor.NET, citing the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Lavrov named "the peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian crisis" as the main priority.
He recalled the peace talks in February-April 2022, first in Belarus and then in Turkey, and blamed their failure on the "Kyiv regime", which listened to "the advice of its Western curators" and allegedly chose to continue the war.
Lavrov also mentioned this year's peace talks in Istanbul and said that some progress had been made on humanitarian issues, in particular, he highlighted the exchange of prisoners of war and the return of the bodies of the deceased.
"In addition, each side presented its vision of the preconditions for ending the conflict. The heads of the delegations remain in direct contact. We look forward to the continuation of negotiations," said the Russian Foreign Minister.
Earlier, Sergey Lavrov said that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin was ready to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy under certain conditions. Lavrov also outlined Russia's conditions for a "lasting" peace. These include recognition of new "territorial realities" and Ukraine's non-aligned and non-nuclear status.
