Meeting with UN chief
Lavrov warns against arms deliveries to Ukraine
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and UN Secretary-General António Guterres meet in Moscow. Photo: Maxim Shipenkov/Pool EPA/AP/dpa
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UN Secretary-General Guterres is visiting Moscow. A meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is about possible negotiation goals between the Kremlin and Kyiv – but above all there are accusations.
At a meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned against arms sales to Ukraine.
“If things continue like this, the negotiations are unlikely to produce any results,” Lavrov said on Tuesday after talks with the UN chief in Moscow. The talks between Kyiv and Moscow to end the war have so far not brought any tangible results. Russia has troops in Ukraine and will continue to target weapons supplied by the West there, Lavrov said.
Lavrov stressed that Russia was still ready to negotiate an end to hostilities in Ukraine. But he sees no real interest in Kyiv.
Guterres proposed the formation of a contact group between the UN, Kyiv and Moscow to solve humanitarian problems in Ukraine. Such a group could ensure the safety of escape corridors, Guterres said at a press conference with Lavrov.
On the question of the possible use of mediators in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, Lavrov said: “It’s too early for that.” With regard to the USA, he criticized that the West is now only concerned with defeating Russia.
Allegations against USA and Great Britain
Lavrov accused the United States and Britain of slowing down negotiations with Ukraine. It is known with certainty that “neither London nor Washington” would advise Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to speed up negotiations, the Russian foreign minister said. “They always advise Zelenskyy to tighten his position.”
He claimed that Kyiv is delaying negotiations. Recently, for example, the Ukrainian side stated that they had not yet had time to deal with the latest Russian proposal. There was no information from Kyiv.
Lavrov also stated that Ukraine’s positions were determined from abroad. “Many of us are convinced that the real position of Ukraine will be determined in Washington, London and other Western capitals.” That is why “our political analysts say why talk to Zelenskyy’s team, you have to talk to the Americans, negotiate with them, reach some kind of agreement”. The Russian side has repeatedly questioned Ukraine’s independence and right to exist.
The prevention of NATO accession and a neutral status of Ukraine is one of the main goals of the Russian war of aggression against the neighboring state. Zelenskyj had shown himself ready to talk about a neutral status for the country and security guarantees from third countries. So far, however, there are no tangible results in the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.
Lavrov accused Ukraine and the West of not showing any interest in resolving the conflict for the past eight years. To this end, Zelenskyi canceled the agreements of the Minsk peace plan. There was also a UN resolution on the Minsk peace plan, to which no one felt bound, said the Russian chief diplomat.
Lavrov warns of a Third World War
UN chief Guterres said the resolutions were binding. However, he made it clear that there were other methods than war to achieve the goals. Guterres stressed that he regretted that the United Nations was not involved in the implementation – in the so-called “Normandy format”, in which France and Germany mediated in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Guterres was also scheduled to meet with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
While Ukraine is complaining of more dead and injured after new Russian attacks, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned of a third world war. This danger is “serious, it is real, it must not be underestimated”.