Russian foreign minister claims Russia is ready to hold talks but will not halt military operations for the duration

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has claimed that Russia is willing to hold talks with Ukraine but will not suspend military operations while negotiations are underway.

Source: Lavrov's remarks at a UN meeting on 23 September, broadcast by Kremlin-aligned Russian media outlet TASS

Quote: "We will not pause the special military operation for the duration of negotiations in any format, although that is what Europe wants.

With the same simple aim – to gain breathing space and replenish the depleted military arsenals of the Kyiv regime, which out of desperation has long since resorted to openly terrorist methods."

Details: Lavrov also outlined once again what he describes as the "objectives of the special military operation", including what he claims is the need to ensure Russia's security and protect the rights of "Russians and Russian-speaking people in Crimea, Donbas and on the territory of Ukraine", where, he alleged, the Russian language and church are "totally" banned.

Background:

• On 23 September, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a closed-door meeting in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
• Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that during the talks Lavrov and Rubio discussed what it called "Kyiv's destructive actions, involving deliberate strikes on civilians and cross-border infrastructure, leading to the destabilisation of global energy markets".
• The US State Department, for its part, said that Lavrov and Rubio discussed Russia's war against Ukraine and the US-Russia bilateral relationship.

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon to help us keep reporting!