Lavrov rejects Ukrainian statements on peace talks
Published: Saturday, Jul 27th 2024, 15:00
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has dismissed Ukrainian statements on possible peace talks with Moscow as "contradictory". "I cannot say anything about numerous ideas that are not really meant seriously," Lavrov told journalists in Laos on Saturday.
"Not so long ago, they talked about negotiations. Zelensky spoke of a willingness to finally sit at the table with Russian representatives. To be honest, I'm not listening to them," Lavrov said, referring to the latest statements by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
Following a visit to China, Kuleba said on Friday that Beijing respects Ukraine's territorial integrity. Kiev should not be forced into negotiations with Russia, Kuleba also said in an interview with the Ukrainian broadcaster TSN. For his part, President Zelenskyi said after Kuleba's visit to China that Beijing had sent a "clear signal" that it supported Ukraine's territorial integrity.
This is "not the first time" that Kuleba has said this, Lavrov said on the sidelines of a meeting of the Southeast Asian association of states Asean in Laos' capital Vientiane, where he said he also met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. Kuleba sometimes said "completely contradictory things".
Russia discusses with China
He has now also discussed Kuleba's visit to Beijing with Wang. According to his impression, the Chinese position on the conflict is "unchanged". According to Lavrov, Beijing insists that the format of any peace talks must be "acceptable to all sides".
"If something serious is proposed, we are of course, as the President said, always ready for an honest discussion, taking into account the current realities," Lavrov said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
China, which maintains a close political and economic partnership with Russia, presents itself as a neutral party in the war in Ukraine. However, Kiev's Western allies accuse Beijing of not having condemned the Russian war of aggression and of continuing to supply Russia with goods that can be used for both civilian and military purposes.
In mid-July, Zelensky suggested that Russian representatives should be present at a second Ukraine peace summit. According to Selensky, he wants to present a "plan" for a "just peace" there. The Kremlin reacted cautiously to the statement. Russia was not invited to a Ukraine conference in Switzerland in mid-June, which was attended by dozens of heads of state and government.
©Keystone/SDA
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