No response from Ukraine on diplomatic proposals presented by Russia: FM Sergey Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday, 22 April, suggested that the response from Ukraine regarding the negotiations indicates that they have no interest in negotiations with Moscow. According to Lavrov, the talks between Russia and Ukraine have been hindered as Moscow did not receive Kyiv's response regarding Russia's diplomatic proposals, Sputnik reported. The statement of the Russian Foreign Minister comes as the war between the two countries transcends 50 days, unabated, with no signs of cessation in sight.

Sergey Lavrov pointed out that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in response to a question regarding Russian proposals, had mentioned that "he had not received anything." Lavrov stressed that he cannot speak about how much Zelenskyy is in "control of the situation," as per the Sputnik report. He further noted that the statement of Zelenskyy shows a "clear illustration" of where the negotiations between the two countries were at the present point in time. Lavrov further stated that Russia has not held talks on security guarantees with anyone. However, he informed that Russia is not against the guarantor countries that have been chosen by Ukraine. Lavrov's statement came after Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov had also responded to Zelenskyy's claim about not receiving Russia's proposal.

Russia presented a draft document to Ukraine: Dmitry Peskov

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia had given a draft document to Ukraine. Peskov stressed that the draft presented by Russia had "absolutely clear, elaborate wording" for Ukraine and added that the decision was now on Kyiv, according to AP. He stated that the draft documents had outlined the demands of Russia as part of peace talks and was now waiting for a response from Ukraine. Peskov blamed Ukraine for the slow progress between the two countries on talks and emphasized that Ukraine constantly changes its position on confirmed documents, as per the AP report. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also stated that Ukraine did not indicate a "clear inclination" for the negotiation process between the two countries. In March, the delegations of Russia and Ukraine held a face-to-face meeting in Istanbul. Ukraine had stated  that it would declare itself neutral and added that its security would be guaranteed by other nations. 

Inputs from AP