Lavrov: Trump wants the issue of Ukraine's NATO membership to be closed

In his interview with Russian state television Perviy Channel, Lavrov evaluated the contacts of US President Donald Trump's special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow.

Stating that Russian President Vladimir Putin met with US representatives, Lavrov said, "What was discussed in the meeting is based on Trump's statements about Ukraine after he came to power. He emphasized that the issue of Ukraine's NATO membership should be forgotten, that this issue is closed and should not be brought up." he said.

Lavrov noted that one of the other important elements of the US's stance is the acceptance of the facts on the field and said:

"The facts accepted by Trump and his team are related to people, not to the situation on the ground. This is linked to the will of the people demonstrated in the referendums held in Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions. We welcome the fact that the Americans base their contacts with us on these facts. This strengthens our desire to continue the dialogue with them. The USA accepts these basic issues and tries to be useful in this regard."