Russia no longer considers talks with Ukraine a priority. At the same time, the Kremlin is allegedly open to negotiations if needed, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, RBC-Ukraine reports.
During his visit to Türkiye, the Russian minister said that the negotiation process with Ukraine is no longer the Kremlin's top priority. According to him, Russia will only assess whether other parties are ready for talks.
At the same time, Lavrov contradicted himself in his remarks, saying that Russia had not imposed negotiations but is ready to take part in them.
"Right now, resuming talks is not our number one priority. We have never imposed negotiations on anyone. We have always proceeded from the assumption that if a partner is ready, then we are not the ones to stand in the way," he said.
Earlier, Ukraine had already held several rounds of talks with Russia. The sides have not been able to agree on a ceasefire, as Russia demands the surrender of unoccupied parts of Donbas, which Kyiv rejects.
Recently, US Vice President JD Vance, commenting on the peace process, questioned the value of arguing over "a few square kilometers."
In response, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reminded Vance that he is not part of the trilateral negotiations. Ukraine's leader emphasized that Russia's goal is the occupation of Ukrainian territory and that this objective "has always existed, in one form or another."
Meanwhile, Presidential Office head Kyrylo Budanov said that Ukraine will hear "a lot of new things" from the Russians in the next round of talks. He stressed that strikes on Russian terminals are influencing the negotiation process.
