Russia To Join Ukraine Security Guarantees ‘On Equal Basis' With World Powers, Says Lavrov
Sergey Lavrov said Moscow is prepared to provide Ukraine with security guarantees alongside the US, China, UK and France, but stressed there can be no framework without Russia.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow is prepared to join international security guarantees for Ukraine, but only 'on equal basis" with other world powers.
Speaking to reporters, Lavrov named the United States, China, the United Kingdom and France as partners in such a framework, while stressing that Russia's participation is indispensable. 'No security framework without Russia (because) such talks lead nowhere," he said.
Lavrov also claimed there was growing recognition in Washington of the need to address the root causes of the crisis. He underlined that any European collective guarantees must be 'truly reliable" and not one-sided.
The minister said Moscow remains focused on the proposals discussed during the 2022 Istanbul negotiations on Ukraine's security, adding that Russia is also willing to provide guarantees for Kyiv under those terms.
The 2022 Istanbul talks were a round of peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, held in March 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey, a month after Russia launched its full-scale invasion, which it terms as a 'special military operation" to finish off Nazis in Ukraine.
After the war began in February 2022, Turkey positioned itself as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine. In March 2022, delegations from both sides met in Istanbul (after earlier rounds in Belarus). Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan personally welcomed the negotiators and pushed for a ceasefire framework.
Erdogan on Wednesday informed his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin by phone that Turkey would support a process involving 'all parties" for peace in Ukraine.
Erdogan told Putin that 'Turkey has sincerely strived for a just peace since the beginning of the war, and in this context, supports approaches aimed at establishing lasting peace with the participation of all parties," his office said in a statement accessed by AFP.
Turkey, which enjoys friendly ties with both its Black Sea neighbors, has hosted three rounds of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia since May.
'Putin, Zelenskyy Meet Only After Meticulous Preparation'
President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops into Ukraine on February 24, 2022, sparking a conflict that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump said Putin had agreed to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and consider certain Western security guarantees for Ukraine.
However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov later clarified that in their phone call, Putin only said he would 'think about raising the level of" talks on Ukraine. He added that any summit between Putin and Zelenskyy would need to be prepared 'in the most meticulous way" to avoid a worsening of the conflict.
Russia Slams Europe's 'Clumsy Attempt' To Influence Trump
Lavrov on Wednesday accused European leaders of making 'clumsy attempts" to change Donald Trump's position on Ukraine.
'We have only seen aggressive escalation of the situation and rather clumsy attempts to change the position of the US president," he said, referring to Trump's meeting on Monday with European leaders and Zelenskyy.
'We did not hear any constructive ideas from the Europeans there," he said.
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Russia-Ukraine Sergey Lavrov Vladimir Putin Volodymyr Zelenskyy
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