Lavrov announced Russia’s readiness for negotiations on Ukraine

Russia is ready to begin negotiations on Ukraine, but proposals for a ceasefire will not be considered due to the fact that Moscow has already been deceived once, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

“There were negotiations in March and April 2022, everything was already initialed. But two days later the Bucha took place, because, I think, someone in London or Washington would not want this war to end. Therefore, now, when we are told about negotiations, [президент РФ Владимир] Putin commented on this, he said very clearly: yes, we are ready for negotiations, but we will not consider any proposals for a ceasefire, because we considered it once, but you deceived us,” the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry said during the press -conference on the results of the work at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly.

The minister also recalled the agreements that were reached in April 2022 during negotiations between Moscow and Kiev, emphasizing that Western countries prohibited Ukraine from holding negotiations because they are interested in continuing the conflict, counting on the fact that this will weaken Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 17 during a meeting with leaders of African countries revealed details of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations in the spring of 2022 in Istanbul, where the parties initialed a draft peace treaty. But then Kyiv “threw it into the dustbin of history” as soon as Russia withdrew its troops from the Kyiv and Chernigov regions.

On June 21, Russian Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky said that Ukraine was close to concluding a peace treaty with Russia at last year’s Istanbul negotiations. He noted that the Ukrainian delegation did not hide the coordination of its decisions with the West, which opposed the conclusion of a peace agreement.

Previously, representatives of the United States, a number of its allies and Ukraine itself have repeatedly opposed the ceasefire, which was part of the peace settlement plans presented by China and African countries. In particular, on August 7, adviser to the head of the office of the President of Ukraine, Mikhail Podolyak, said that a ceasefire and freezing of the conflict in Ukraine in the current balance of power would mean a victory for Russia, therefore such proposals are unacceptable for Kiev. In addition, Ukraine has a law that prohibits any negotiations with Russia.