Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Western countries of seeking to “hinder“ the peace talks on Ukraine, Agence France-Presse reported, quoted by BTA.
The agency notes that the statement comes at a time when diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict are at a standstill.
“They are simply looking for a pretext to hinder the negotiations“, Lavrov said in an interview with the state television “Russia“, published on “Telegram“.
The minister also criticized the position of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who, according to him, “persists, sets conditions and insists on an immediate meeting“ with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Regarding the threats of Western countries to impose new sanctions on Moscow in the absence of negotiations, Lavrov described them as “an attempt to create obstacles to the process started by Presidents Putin and Trump, which has brought very good results“.
“We hope that these attempts will fail“, he added.
AFP recalls that US President Donald Trump's mediation efforts aimed at a quick end to the conflict reached their peak with his meeting with Vladimir Putin on August 15 in Alaska. A few days later, Trump hosted Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukraine's European allies at the White House. However, the differences in the positions of Moscow and Kiev remain deep and irreconcilable.