Lavrov appreciated the West’s desire to resolve the Ukrainian conflict on the battlefield

If the West wants to resolve the Ukrainian conflict on the battlefield, then so be it, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at the general political discussion of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly.

“They say it’s [формула мира президента Украины Владимира Зеленского] the only basis for negotiations and in general, Russia needs to be defeated on the battlefield. <...> And in these conditions, once on the battlefield, it means on the battlefield,” the minister said (quote on radio “Mayak”).

Answering the question whether Moscow will hold negotiations with Kiev if it lifts the ban on them, Lavrov clarified that “firstly, he has not lifted it yet.”

“He [Зеленский] rushes around the world and asks everyone for money, weapons, attention. This is not in our rules,” he added. Lavrov also called Ukraine’s “peace formula” “unrealizable.”

In the fall of 2022, Zelensky listed 10 conditions for the Ukrainian “peace formula,” including the restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, the withdrawal of Russian troops from its territory, fixing the end of the conflict, as well as ensuring food, energy and nuclear security.

The Russian authorities have already called a settlement in Ukraine using this formula impossible. Official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova notedthat none of its 10 points is aimed at finding a negotiated and diplomatic solution to the crisis, and their totality constitutes a “meaningless ultimatum to Russia.”

At the beginning of August Lavrov called Western countries ask the President of Ukraine for a “formula” on how Kyiv sees the situation of Russians and other national minorities in the country. He clarified that Moscow appreciates any efforts to achieve a “just and sustainable world,” but this is impossible without respecting the rights of national minorities.