MOSCOW: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday said France had tried to establish “dialogue” with Moscow on Ukraine but without Kyiv’s participation — a claim that was dismissed by Paris as “intemperate”.
“On several occasions, our French colleagues have appealed through confidential channels: ‘Let us help, let’s have a dialogue on the Ukrainian question’. Without Ukraine,” Lavrov said in a live interview with Russian and foreign media.
He said Russian officials were “ready to listen”.
Reacting to Lavrov’s statement, a French diplomatic source told AFP, “The Russian authorities are accustomed to making intemperate remarks aimed at exploiting a war of aggression for which they bear full responsibility.”
“As France has reiterated since the beginning of the war, it is up to Ukraine, the aggressed country, to define the time and conditions under which they wish to enter into a negotiation process,” the source said as quoted by AFP.
After nearly three years of conflict, the possibility of peace talks is being discussed as US President-elect Donald Trump prepares to assume office next month.
Trump has repeatedly stated he will aim to bring the fighting to an end without explaining exactly how. France has floated the idea of sending Western troops to Ukraine to monitor a possible ceasefire.
Ceasefire Will be a Dead-End
The Russian Foreign Minister said that idle talk about resolving the Ukraine issue cannot satisfy Moscow because a ceasefire would be a dead-end at this point, Russia’s TASS news agency reported.
A lot has been said on the issue. The [Russian] president has repeatedly spoken about it, particularly during his question-and-answer session, the Valdai Discussion Club event and on other occasions. We won’t be satisfied with idle talk.”
“What we have heard so far is talk about the need to come up with a ceasefire, and no one actually hides that the goal of the ceasefire is to buy time in order to continue flooding Ukraine with weapons and make it possible for them to put themselves together, carry out a mobilization and so on,” he noted as quoted by TASS.
“A ceasefire is a dead-end,” Lavrov stressed. “We need final, legally binding agreements that will document conditions for ensuring Russia’s security and, of course, the legitimate interests of our neighbours, but in a manner based on international law, which will make it impossible to violate those agreements,” he added.
The top Russian diplomat pointed out that those accords should first and foremost address the root causes of the Ukraine crisis.
“The first of the two main causes was the violation of all promises not to expand NATO to the east and the aggressive policy of NATO countries aimed at absorbing the entire geopolitical space up to our borders. The same fate was prepared from Ukraine, and they continue talking about it,” Lavrov emphasized.
Promotion Among BRICS Nations
Lavrov said the promotion of information cooperation among the BRICS countries is extremely important in order to strengthen the position of the association and the countries of the Global South in various international structures, TV BRICS reported.
Lavrov also emphasized the consolidating role of Russia and China for the countries of the Global South. He called the two states’ BRICS interaction an example of Beijing and Moscow’s positive influence on international relations.
