Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, but a number of issues must be clarified before that, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, quoted by Reuters, BTA reports.
According to him, Putin is questioning Zelensky's legitimacy because of the postponed elections in Ukraine due to the war. "The issue of legitimacy must be resolved before Moscow signs any document with Kiev," Lavrov said.
He accused European leaders of trying to undermine progress made last week at a US-Russian meeting in Alaska on a possible peace deal.
"Kiev's European allies are seeking to shift the focus away from addressing the root causes of the war," the foreign minister said, reiterating Moscow's concerns that Ukraine's security guarantees are being discussed without Russia's participation.
"Any ideas that differ from what was agreed in Istanbul in 2022 are hopeless," Lavrov stressed.