Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Saturday that he would consider a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov if he receives such a request
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th November, 2022) Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Saturday that he would consider a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov if he receives such a request.
"He (Lavrov) did not ask for a meeting as is usual in diplomacy; if he does, we will thoroughly consider his request, taking into account all aspects and the reality of the current situation," Kuleba was quoted as saying by the Phnom Penh Post.
Earlier this week, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said that Moscow was not putting forward any preconditions for negotiations with Ukraine, but Kiev must show goodwill. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia was "open for contacts," but Ukraine "has codified the non-continuation of negotiations."
On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian forces. In October, the republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, as well as the Russian-controlled parts of the Ukrainian regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia were incorporated into Russia following referendums, after which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree deeming holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin impossible.
