Lavrov states that Moscow has never refused to negotiate with Kyiv

Ukrainska Pravda
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IRYNA BALACHUK – TUESDAY, 26 JULY 2022, 14:16

Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, said that Russia has never refused to negotiate with Ukraine.

Source: Russian propaganda publication RIA Novosti

Quote from Lavrov: "Moscow has never refused to negotiate with Ukraine: hostilities end at the negotiating table, but there is no response from Kyiv."

Details: The head of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs once again repeated the Kremlin narratives that "the question of why Kyiv is not engaging in negotiations should be addressed to the United States."

Why this is important: 

Russia does not abide by any agreements (which is clear from the recent strike on Ukrainian ports immediately after the signing of an agreement on grain exports - ed.) and constantly blames the West and the U.S. for the lack of negotiations. In reality, it is the Russian invaders who are shelling the civilian population of Ukraine, erasing entire settlements from the face of the earth, and at the same time preparing to annex the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine. Spokespersons for the aggressor country continue to justify their aggressive actions on grounds of an alleged threat to Russia posed by Ukraine and the West.

Background: 

  • On 24 July, after signing an agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain and the Russian attack on Ukrainian ports, Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that Moscow is ready for negotiations with Kyiv "on a wider range of issues", but complained that the resumption of the negotiation process does not depend on the Russian side.

  • Zelenskyy believes that freezing a full-scale war with Russia will only encourage it to escalate the conflict.

  • On 22 July, Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the head of the President’s Office and a member of the Ukrainian delegation to negotiations with the Russian Federation, said that there are no grounds currently for resuming negotiations with the aggressor state.