Moscow: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Western nations and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of obstructing peace talks on Ukraine in an interview. Speaking to Russia-1 TV, Lavrov said Western countries "are just looking for an excuse to prevent negotiations." He added that Zelenskyy is "acting stubborn" and demanding an immediate meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Lavrov said European countries were trying to undermine the progress made by Putin and US President Donald Trump, Xinhua news agency reported. He said the diplomatic initiative, initially launched by Putin and US President Donald Trump at the Alaska Summit, had been productive. He added that efforts to obstruct the negotiations would be “thwarted”.
Lavrov recalled that Putin had described the Alaska Summit as “fruitful” and emphasized the need to “turn the page” and resume cooperation between Russia and the United States.
Lavrov also criticized Zelenskyy for trying to “shift the focus” away from domestic issues in Ukraine, particularly the treatment of the Russian language and the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The Russian Foreign Minister argued that Ukraine’s laws banning the Russian language and suppressing the canonical Church constituted “gross violations of the UN Charter”.
Putin won't meet Zelenskyy 'because he doesn't like him': TrumpUS President Donald Trump said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is reluctant to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy 'because he doesn’t like him.' Trump confirmed that he spoke again with Putin following their phone call last week, when he tried to line up direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv. But despite what Trump described as a "good conversation," no breakthrough emerged. "Every conversation I have with him is a good conversation," Trump told reporters gathered at the Oval Office. "And then, unfortunately, a bomb is loaded up into Kyiv or someplace, and then I get very angry about it. I think we’re going to get the war done. It’s tough." The US President added he is uncertain about whether the two wartime leaders will sit down face-to-face. "I don’t know that they’ll meet," he admitted. "Maybe they will. Maybe they won’t." |
