Russia ready for Ukraine talks, but they must include situation on ground - Lavrov

INA-  sources


Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed the Ukraine crisis, Russian military bases in Syria and missile threats from the West in an interview with Sputnik, APA's Moscow correspondent reports.

Moscow is ready for negotiations to resolve the situation around Ukraine, but they should be aimed at eliminating the root causes of the crisis and take into account the real situation "on the ground," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Sputnik.


"We are ready for negotiations, but they should be aimed at eliminating the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis and taking into account the real situation on the ground," Lavrov said.

Both the current and the incoming US administrations have all the levers to launch negotiations on the Ukrainian issue, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Sputnik.

"Of course, both the new and the current administrations have such levers. It should only apply them, these levers, to itself and Kyiv wards. If Washington really wanted to end the conflict, it would have stopped supplying weapons to Kyiv, demanded that their satellites do the same and ordered their Kyiv puppets to cease fire, resume the negotiation process without any conditions," Lavrov said.

Russia's approaches to resolving the conflict over Ukraine were clearly outlined by Russian President Vladimir Putin in his speech at the Russian Foreign Ministry on June 14, as well as during a year-end press conference on December 19, the minister said.

"In particular, we are talking about the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine, ensuring its non-aligned, neutral and nuclear-weapon-free status, and eliminating long-term threats to Russia's security emanating from the West, including the expansion of NATO. Kyiv must assume specific obligations to ensure the rights, freedoms and interests of Russian-speaking citizens and, of course, recognize the territorial realities enshrined in the Russian Constitution, Lavrov concluded.




source: apa