Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov Draws Attention to the Possibility of Restarting Negotiations for the Resolution of the Ukraine Crisis

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attended the International Youth Festival held in Yekaterinburg. Speaking at the festival, Lavrov touched upon the possibility of resuming negotiations to resolve the Ukrainian crisis. Stating that they will wait for offers regarding the negotiations, Lavrov said, "However, we do not have high expectations. We are ready for negotiations in both bilateral and tripartite formats. We have never given up on negotiations."

Lavrov stated that the negotiations could be held in any country suitable for the parties and that the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis should be eliminated. Noting that they are in contact with the USA, Lavrov said, "Our American colleagues offer to restart the bilateral dialogue. We additionally maintain contacts. However, relations need to be improved for a comprehensive dialogue."

Reminding that European countries are planning to deploy military units to Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said, "This will mean Europe declaring a direct war, not a hybrid one. We will not make any agreements with Europeans on issues related to the security of the state. When one of the European countries wants to have a serious dialogue with us, we will listen, but we will not jump in."