MOSCOW – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said his country is ready to continue high-level trilateral negotiations with Ukraine, mediated by Turkey, following a new round of talks between Moscow and Kiev amid the continued hostilities between the two sides.
"If such initiatives appear, we would only be pleased to continue communicating in this format," Lavrov said at a press conference following his meetings with Turkish colleague Mevlut Cavusoglu in Moscow, as per reports. Lavrov went on to say that Russia would only engage in discussions with Ukraine if they resulted in concrete outcomes and resolved existing issues. Aaccording to Cavusoglu, Turkey is prepared to host a prospective meeting between Russia's and Ukraine's leaders.
Last week, Lavrov met with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on the margins of an international meeting in Antalya, Turkey's southern province. This was Moscow and Kiev's first high-level meeting since Russia began a "special military operation" in Ukraine on February 24.
Earlier on Wednesday, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky stated that during the new round of negotiations, Russia and Ukraine made progress on a number of subjects. "On a few places, some progress has been made, but not all. The parties' stances are clear, and we're moving slowly "Medinsky, who is also the head of Moscow's mission, was quoted in local media.
UN Court of Justice orders Russia to 'immediately suspend' military fight in Ukraine
