Russia's Lavrov says 'premature to talk about any mediators in Moscow-Kyiv negotiations'

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on April 26 that it was too early to talk about any mediators in the Russia-Ukraine negotiations.

“We are ready for negotiations, if someone has interesting ideas, we will be ready to listen to them. Ukrainian negotiators did not talk about mediation as such, at least now, at the previous stages … It is too early to talk about mediators at this stage, in my opinion,” Lavrov told reporters following a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Moscow.

"The Russian side first wants to get a response to the latest version of the draft peace agreement, which was submitted more than 10 days ago," the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov added. 

Goodwill has its limits: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

As Ukraine fails to comply with the peace talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned on Monday that World War III is on the verge. According to The Moscow Times, Lavrov talked with several Russian news agencies, where he condemned Ukraine's attitude to the peace talks. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, “Goodwill has its limits. But if it isn’t reciprocal, that doesn’t help the negotiation process.”

At the recent meeting between Russia and Ukraine, held in Istanbul, Turkey, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov mentioned that Kyiv had presented a draft agreement which marked a departure from its previous stand. 

Lavrov further stated that Russia will continue to engage in negotiations with the delegation appointed by the President of Ukraine, Volodymr Zelenskyy. However, he added that President Zelenskyy was feigning on peace talks. 

The Russian Foreign Minister went on to warn that the danger of World War III is as real as it sounds. “The danger is serious, it is real, you can’t underestimate it,” the Russian Foreign Minister said, as quoted by The Moscow Times. 

Negotiation talks depend on Kyiv’s willingness for Russia’s demand: Russia Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

Earlier, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, during a phone call, that the outcome of negotiations with Ukraine is dependent on Kyiv’s willingness to take into account Moscow’s reasonable demands.

“With regard to the prospects for the Russian-Ukrainian negotiation process, the immutability of the principled Russian position was confirmed: the outcome of the negotiations depends entirely on Kyiv’s readiness to take into account our legitimate demands,” the ministry said.

Image: AP