Russia has shown no signs of softening its position on the war in Ukraine, the European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaia Kallas, said after the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta. She accused Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov of presenting "a lot of lies and a lot of false narratives" to which European representatives responded during the talks.
“They should show with their actions that they are ready to negotiate, but they are clearly not”, Kallas said, quoted by AFP. According to her, Moscow continues to declare readiness for dialogue, but its actions do not confirm this.
Lavrov himself stated that the Russian position on the conflict "has not changed since the very beginning of the special military operation," as Moscow calls the war. He also said he did not know what Ukraine would bring to the negotiating table and described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's statements about acquiring weapons and striking Russian targets as an obstacle to preparing for future talks.
Poland calls for ceasefire in Black Sea
At the same meeting, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski called for a quick ceasefire in the Black Sea to allow the safe passage of grain supplies from Ukraine and Russia.
“I supported doing something quickly because people in the Global South need this grain“, Sikorski told reporters in Atlanta.The Polish minister stressed that Ukraine must participate in any process to end the Russian invasion, and Europe must have a place in the negotiations. He also called for a “just end“ of the war before Russia resumes energy sales to the European market.
The calls for a naval truce come amid efforts to preserve grain exports through the Black Sea and limit the risk to commercial shipping. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadeful also said that Russia should accept Ukraine's offer of a ceasefire starting in the Black Sea.
New talks expected in November
The United States, Russia and Ukraine are discussing the possibility of new trilateral talks. Zelensky said a meeting of negotiators could be held in Abu Dhabi between November 6 and 10, with Kiev seeking to include European representatives in the process. So far, however, the public positions of Moscow and European countries remain widely divergent.
The disagreements in Atlanta were also highlighted by the cancellation of the traditional group photo of G-20 ministers. According to a diplomatic source quoted by AFP, some European representatives objected to a photo with Lavrov.
Sources: afp.com, internazionale.it, kelo.com