Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that a possible meeting between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky is unlikely in the near future, stressing that such a format requires careful preliminary preparation, quoted by the BBC.
"We are ready for any format, but when it comes to high-level meetings, they need to be prepared most carefully at all previous stages so that the summits do not lead to a deterioration of the situation, but really put an end to the negotiations, which we are ready to continue," Lavrov said during a joint press conference with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi.
US and European officials said that direct talks between Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky could take place in the near future, but based on Lavrov's words, it may to conclude that such a summit is still far off.
He also said that Putin had suggested considering raising the level of the heads of delegations during a recent conversation with US President Donald Trump, when he called the Russian president during a meeting with Zelensky and European leaders in Washington.
Lavrov said that Moscow had initiated the creation of various working groups in which Ukraine and Russia could discuss various aspects of a peaceful settlement of the conflict, including political issues.
Lavrov said that Moscow supports providing security guarantees to Ukraine, but for this to happen, Kiev must abandon its intention to join NATO, and the permanent members of the UN Security Council, including Russia and China, could act as guarantor states.
"We are for these guarantees to be truly reliable," Lavrov said in response to a question from journalists about security guarantees for Ukraine, which were discussed at the last summits.
Lavrov called the preliminary agreements reached during the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul in April 2022 a "good example".
Among the main principles, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry indicated "Ukraine's refusal to join NATO or other military blocs, confirmation of the neutral and non-nuclear status of Ukraine".
According to Lavrov, the permanent members of the UN Security Council, including Russia, China, the United States, Great Britain and France, should act as security guarantors.
However, as the "New York Times" wrote in early 2024, the main obstacle that led to the termination of the negotiations in Istanbul in 2022 was precisely the issue of security guarantees for Ukraine from third countries.