The Russian foreign minister has set the conditions for holding a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.
In an interview with Serbian news agencies on March 28, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will take place only when the two sides are closer to reaching an agreement on important issues.
"We have been paying attention to these problems for many years, but the West did not listen to us. Now they are listening," Lavrov said.
Lavrov added that any meeting between Putin and Zelensky to exchange views on the current conflict would be counterproductive.
According to the Russian diplomat, in the current negotiations with Ukraine, Moscow is obliged to ensure that "the people of Donbass are never subjected to coercion by the Kiev authorities" and that "Ukraine is no longer a country" regularly militarized" in an attempt to intimidate Russia.
Russia and Ukraine have held several rounds of talks, but neither side has made any significant progress in efforts to de-escalate tensions. The next round of talks between the two countries is expected to be held this week.
Russia has repeatedly mentioned the conditions for ending the operation in Ukraine, in which they all emphasized the need for Kiev to de-militarize, de-fascist and ensure neutrality, not joining NATO - military alliance led by the United States. In addition, Russia is said to also ask Ukraine to recognize the independence of the two breakaway territories of Donetsk and Lugansk in Donbass, Eastern Ukraine, and recognize Crimea as part of Russia.
In an interview today, Foreign Minister Lavrov said that Russia hopes negotiations with Ukraine will take place successfully.
"We are interested that these negotiations will end with an outcome that achieves our basic objectives. First of all, an end to the killing of civilians in the Donbass region, which has lasted for eight years. last year," Lavrov said.
President Zelensky said on March 27 that the country was ready to be neutral and agree on the status of the separatist Donbass region. However, he stressed, any agreement must be guaranteed by third parties and subject to a referendum. He affirmed that Russia and Ukraine cannot reach a peace agreement without a ceasefire and that Russia must immediately withdraw its troops.
Foreign Minister Lavrov today also mentioned Western sanctions against Russia related to the military operation in Ukraine.
When asked about Russia's "isolation" due to sanctions, Lavrov denied this information, and affirmed that Russia has many partners in the Asia-Pacific region, Africa and Latin America. .
According to Foreign Minister Lavrov, Russia has "good relations with most of the organizations established by developing countries, including the African Union, the community of Latin American and Caribbean countries, as well as ASEAN and many other countries. ".
Since Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24, the US, UK and its allies have stepped up sanctions against Russia. The Kremlin admits Russia is experiencing an economic "shock" due to "unprecedented" Western sanctions.
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