Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that while Moscow is prepared for negotiations on Ukraine, it will not take into account any cease-fire plans because it has already been duped.
“We are working in the real situation that has developed In March and April 2022 there were negotiations, everything was already initialed. But two days later there was Bucha (the events in the Ukrainian city of Bucha – TASS), because, I think, someone in London or Washington does not want this war to end,” the top diplomat said at a press conference following the 78th session of the UN General Assembly. “That is why now, when we hear about negotiations, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin commented on it, he said very clearly: yes, we are ready for negotiations, but we will not consider any proposals for a ceasefire, because we’ve considered it once, but you deceived us,” Lavrov pointed out.
The top Russian diplomat pointed out that the West had forbidden Kiev to negotiate with Moscow. “We were not only ready, we agreed to negotiate, we reached an agreement in April 2022. And after that, as I understand it, [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky was told: since they agreed so quickly, let’s exhaust them,” the foreign minister said.
Lavrov had before stated that future conversations will be more difficult the longer Kiev postpones talks with Moscow. According to him, the repeal of Zelensky’s directive forbidding communication with Moscow should come before any further steps in establishing such contacts.
