Ukraine, not Russia, refuses to negotiate, and the further it goes on, the harder it will be to reach an agreement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters on Tuesday following his participation in the G20 summit.
Russia is also not responding to rumors that the US is preparing some kind of negotiations to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. Moscow wants to see concrete evidence that Washington and Brussels are interested in explaining to President Vladimir Zelensky that it is not in the interests of the Ukrainian people or himself to continue the conflict. Lavrov also told French President Emmanuel Macron during a brief meeting that Ukraine, not Russia, should be asked about the negotiations.
TASS compiled Lavrov's main statements.
On negotiations with Ukraine
Russia is not refusing to negotiate with Ukraine, as it has repeatedly confirmed. "If anyone refuses, it is Ukraine. And the longer it refuses, the more difficult it will eventually be to negotiate."
"About the reports that supposedly the Americans are preparing some negotiations, these rumors keep popping up and also with the same success then vanish. We no longer react to it.
Russia wants to see concrete evidence that "the West is seriously interested in disciplining Zelensky and explaining to him that this cannot go on, that it is not in the interests of the Ukrainian people and himself."
Moscow records various reports citing anonymous sources, including rumors that "the US administration is telling Zelensky to be more accommodating. "Then it is immediately clarified that this is not so that he will actually behave constructively, but to remove objections from that part of the Western world that is beginning to doubt the need to supply additional weapons."
About Zelensky's speech
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky's speech at the G20 summit "was recorded and lasted 20 minutes, although each participant was given about three minutes so that everyone had time to speak."
"I drew only one conclusion from his speech: he has not listened to any Western advice so far." The speech was Russophobic and aggressive. "The content of his speech and the condition of this man is best characterized by a phrase he inserted, not very much to the point, but uttered. He said that the Allied landings in Normandy in 1944 was a turning point in World War II. You draw your own conclusions."
About the West
The US and its allies at the G20 summit accused Russia of "unprovoked aggression" against Ukraine. The more Western countries say "unprovoked aggression," the more everyone understands that "the aggression was provoked by them."
The EU and NATO have long been hybrid actors in the conflict in Ukraine, for example by supplying weapons and providing intelligence.
Some European leaders "talk about the need to move to a peaceful settlement," and the EU decides to launch a training mission to train Ukrainian soldiers: "Some kind of political split personality or, as [Russian President Vladimir] Putin said, a specifically unconventional form of international relations. But we're getting used to it, anything happens."
About grain
Russia has the ability to ensure the stability of global grain and fertilizer markets, but obstacles to exports remain.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres talked about the EU and the US promises on paper that all obligations to lift restrictions on Russian grain and food exports will be fulfilled. "If they are implemented, the obstacles to export our fertilizers and grain will be removed. But it's not about papers, it's about how they will be implemented in practice. At that, Guterres "has sworn that this is a priority issue for him."
Russia hopes that the promises will be kept. However, five months after concluding the grain deal, the Russian part of it has not yet yielded any practical results. "But we have to give credit to the UN secretariat and the secretary-general personally - they are trying their best."
Western countries and Turkey understand that it is necessary to restrain Kiev from using a humanitarian corridor to export grain for military purposes.
About the meetings at the summit
Lavrov held brief meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Macron confirmed his readiness for new contacts with Russian President Vladimir Putin "in order to find some kind of agreement that will resolve the whole situation, as he put it." "But I reminded him that all the problems are on the Ukrainian side, which categorically refuses any negotiations and puts forward conditions that are knowingly unrealistic and inadequate to the situation." Lavrov also told Macron and Scholz that the question of negotiations with Ukraine should be addressed not to Moscow, but to Kiev.
On the final declaration
Work on the final declaration of the G20 summit is almost completed. "Our Western colleagues tried in every possible way to make this declaration politicized and tried to sneak in wording that would imply condemning Russia's actions on behalf of the entire G20, including ourselves."
The draft final declaration of the G20 summit contains assessments of both Russia and the West on the Ukrainian crisis. "The West added the phrase that "many delegations condemned Russia, we recorded that alternative points of view were also outlined, we believe that this is quite enough."
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS