Russia open to talks, but Trump must make the first move
The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Russia is open to talks with the USA if the initiative comes from Donald Trump, Reuters reports.
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During a briefing in Moscow, the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, argued that Russia is ready for talks with the USA to restore previous relations. However, this requires initiative from President-elect Donald Trump.
"Russia is ready to cooperate with the new administration of Donald Trump to improve relations if the USA is truly committed, but it is Washington that must take the first step," he said.
Lavrov sets the conditions
Lavrov stated that it was Washington that severed good relations with Russia after initiating the "special military operation" (as the war in Ukraine is called - editor's note). He added that earlier, during the breakup of the USSR, they ignored Russia's interests, "trying to sow discord." Therefore, according to Lavrov, the Americans should make the first move.
According to media reports, Lavrov also claims that Russia is open to talks with Trump about a ceasefire in Ukraine, but excludes territorial concessions and insists that Kyiv abandon its ambitions to join NATO.
"A ceasefire is a road to nowhere," Lavrov said, as quoted by Reuters. "We need final legal agreements which will establish all the conditions for ensuring the security of the Russian Federation," he added.
"If the signals coming from the new team in Washington, to restore dialogue which Washington broke after the start of the special military operation (war in Ukraine), are serious, then we will obviously respond to them," Lavrov told reporters in Moscow.
Source: Reuters/WP