Talks are not Russia's number one priority, Lavrov says

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said the Kremlin is ready for negotiations with Ukraine, but that this is not its number one priority.

Source: Telegram channel Vy slushali mayak (You have been listening to Radio Mayak), which which posted an audio comment from Lavrov

Quote from Lavrov: "We view positively the possibility of resuming negotiations in Istanbul. Right now, this topic, the topic of resuming negotiations, is not our number one priority.

We have never imposed negotiations on anyone. We have always proceeded from the assumption that if a partner is ready, then there will be no delay on our side."

Background:

• On 9 March, Zelenskyy announced that the trilateral talks with Russia and the US have been postponed.
• On 10 March, Zelenskyy said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had told him in a phone call that Türkiye was ready to host the next round of trilateral talks.
• On 19 March, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the pause in talks between Ukraine, the United States and Russia is temporary and could end once all the sides have aligned their schedules, primarily the Americans.
• On 26 March, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is taking the peace negotiations with Russia seriously and that discussions would be more effective if held at the level of national leaders.
• The Kremlin has claimed that there has been no progress on territorial issues in talks on the war in Ukraine, but Russia remains open to further meetings.

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