Lavrov says Russia willing to continue peace talks but warns they must not be a "cover"
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said Moscow is willing to continue negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine, but claimed that such talks often become a "cover" for the United States while it assists Ukraine.
Source: Russian news agency Interfax
Quote: "We are prepared for negotiations [on ending the war in Ukraine – ed.]. But, I repeat once again, we see how negotiations very often become a cover for actions that are not exactly friendly."
Details: Lavrov specifically criticised the US for continuing to provide intelligence to Ukraine and for selling weapons to European countries that later transfer them to Ukraine.
"Well, we see how the US continues to provide intelligence to the Ukrainian regime, continues to sell weapons to Europeans so that they then transfer them to the Kyiv regime using their own funds," Lavrov complained during an ambassadorial roundtable, referring to the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) programme that enables Kyiv's allies to buy US weapons for Ukraine.
Background:
- On 3 March, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said there was still "no clarity on the timing or venue" for the next round of peace talks between Russia, the US and Ukraine.
- The same day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he hopes that the US attack on Iran will not affect the trilateral talks with Russia and noted that the next round could take place on 5 or 6 March.
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