Russian foreign minister: Any negotiation format possible providing Russia's security is respected
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that Russia has no objection to either a bilateral or a trilateral format to resolve its war against Ukraine.
Source: Kremlin-aligned Russian news agencies RIA Novosti and Interfax, citing an interview with Lavrov on Russia 24, a state-owned TV news channel
Quote from Lavrov: "We don't oppose any forms of work, neither bilateral nor trilateral, as the president has repeatedly said."
Details: Lavrov added that any contact involving top officials should be prepared for "as carefully as possible".
"The most important thing is that any formats – one plus one, one plus two, multilateral formats, there are quite a few of them too, including within the United Nations – that all these formats are included... in order to prepare for the summits step by step, gradually, starting from the expert level and then going through all the necessary stages. This is the sort of serious approach we will always support," Lavrov said.
The foreign minister added that "there can be no discussion of long-term arrangements without respect for Russia's security and full respect for the rights of Russians in Ukraine".
Background:
- After meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders in Washington on 18 August, US President Donald Trump said that he hopes to organise US-Ukraine-Russia talks as soon as possible.
- Zelenskyy has confirmed that preparations are underway, first for a meeting between him and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, and later for a trilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump.
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that Zelenskyy and Putin will meet within the next two weeks.
- Reuters has reported that the US administration thinks the meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin could take place in Hungary.
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