The lifting of sanctions imposed on Moscow is part of peace talks between Russia and Ukrainewhich are “difficult” but continue every day, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in an interview with the Chinese news agency Xinhua.
Kyiv warned on Friday that talks to end the Russian-led invasion, now in its third month, were on the verge of collapse.
“At this stage, the Russian and Ukrainian delegations are discussing a draft agreement on a daily basis via teleconference,” Lavrov said in an interview with Xinhua, published on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website.
THE Sergei Lavrov blamed the West – and NATO in particular – that there is an obstacle to reaching a political agreement to end the conflict in Ukraine. If the US and NATO are really interested in resolving the Ukrainian crisis, then they must first change their attitude and stop supplying Kyiv with weapons and ammunition, said the Russian Foreign Minister.
“The agenda of the talks includes, among other things, issues of de-Nazification, recognition of the new geopolitical reality, lifting of sanctions and the status of the Russian language,” Lavrov said, without elaborating.
“We are in favor of continuing the negotiations, although they are difficult,” he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has insisted since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24 that Western sanctions against Moscow must be tightened and that they could not be negotiated.
The Ukraine’s allies in the West have imposed sweeping sanctions on Moscow. About half of Russia’s gold and foreign exchange reserves have been frozen, hitting the Russian economy hard and pushing Moscow to the brink of bankruptcy.
Representatives of the two countries’ governments have not held direct peace talks since late March, and the climate has deteriorated since Ukraine complained that the Russian army committed atrocities, when withdrawing from areas near Kyiv. Moscow has rejected them allegations.
Russia has described the invasion of its neighbor as a “special military operation” aimed at “demilitarizing” and “de-Naziizing” Ukraine. In contrast, Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of launching an unprovoked war.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News
and be the first to know all the news
