LONDON: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that his country is ready to discuss the Ukraine war with the West, but has so far received no serious proposals to do so.
Lavrov claimed that officials, including White House national security spokesman John Kirby, had said the United States was open to talks Russia had turned down in an interview on state television.
According to Lavrov, this is a lie. "We have no sincere offers to contact," Additionally, he said that Russia would be open to the idea of a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the upcoming G20 summit.
We often say that we never decline invitations to meetings. We will consider any offer, Lavrov said. Regarding the possibility of Turkey holding talks between Russia and the West, Lavrov said that Moscow would be open to listening to any suggestions, but could not guarantee that their outcome would be anything.
When the two leaders visit Kazakhstan this week, he said, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will have a chance to make suggestions to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In the eighth month of the conflict, Lavrov was speaking at a time when Russia's offensive had stalled and since early September it has suffered crushing losses at the hands of Ukrainian forces.