According to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Russia is ready to negotiate with the United States in its war against Ukraine – but without deviating from its goals. “We have not received any serious offer to get in touch with them,” Lavrov said on Russian state television on Tuesday about an alleged offer of talks by the US government.
Moscow sees Washington as a warring party and the key to resolving the conflict. If Washington offers a meeting between Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden at the G-20 summit, for example, Moscow will examine this, Lavrov said.
At the same time, Russia’s chief diplomat once again accused the US of being directly involved in the war in Ukraine. Washington not only delivers weapons to Kyiv, but also provides the Ukrainian leadership with reconnaissance data from satellites. “As for the limits of the tasks that we have set ourselves within the framework of the military special operation, that’s how the president formulated them, and they don’t change. They will also be achieved,” Lavrov said.
Putin justified the Russian invasion of Ukraine with an alleged threat to Russia from the neighboring country. He gave the “demilitarization” and “denazification” of Ukraine as goals. In addition, Ukraine should retain a neutral status and give up the Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea regions. In the meantime, Russia has also annexed the Ukrainian regions of Cherson and Zaporizhia. Ukraine, on the other hand, is demanding that Russia withdraw from the occupied territories before negotiations begin.