OMM Redaksiyası
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Saturday that Moscow remains committed to holding peace talks with Ukraine, rejecting accusations that Russia is avoiding negotiations, according to the report.
Speaking to reporters after addressing the UN General Assembly in New York, Lavrov said previous rounds of talks had not been halted by Moscow. He said they were instead stopped by those who now claim that Russia is avoiding contact and has nothing to say.
Russia says dialogue with the US remains open
Lavrov said Russia and the United States maintain regular communication through several channels and that Moscow remains ready to discuss areas of disagreement.
“We are ready; we will always engage in dialogue – especially with countries like the United States,” he said. “We will always listen, and we will always speak honestly about what we disagree with.”
He added that Moscow still considers the understandings reached during last year’s summit in Alaska to be valid and is prepared to return to them.
Lavrov describes Berlin meeting as unproductive
Regarding relations with Germany, Lavrov said his meeting with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul produced no new proposals. The meeting, requested by Berlin “at the very last minute”, was the first between the two countries’ foreign ministers since 2022, when the war in Ukraine began.
Lavrov said Wadephul had repeated Germany’s publicly stated positions when asked to explain the purpose of his visit.
“I gleaned nothing new from it—a point I made to Mr. Wadephul,” he said.
According to Lavrov, the meeting appeared to imply that Germany had taken the initiative to restore contact with Russia and expected Moscow to make concessions over Ukraine in return.
Lavrov backs return to Iran conflict framework
Asked about US President Donald Trump’s public rejection of an Iranian plan to address the conflict between the two countries, Lavrov said the parties could consider returning to a framework agreement reached in June through Pakistani mediation, known as the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
“We believe the Islamabad Memorandum was a fair deal,” he said, suggesting that the agreement could be revisited because it had been signed at the highest level.
On the selection of the next UN secretary-general, Lavrov said he expected the new officeholder to represent the interests of the international community as a whole. He added that several candidates possessed the qualities required under the UN Charter.
The term of current Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is due to end at the close of this year.
