On Tuesday, on the sidelines of the G20 in Indonesia, Russia’s head of diplomacy Sergei Lavrov branded Ukraine’s conditions for starting talks to end the war as “unrealistic”.
“All the problems are caused by the Ukrainian side refusing any negotiation and making claims that are inconsistent with the real situation,” he said.
According to Lavrov, the process of reaching an agreement is “slowed down” by Ukraine, the country that was invaded by Russia on February 24.
Ukraine demands the withdrawal of Russian troops from its territory and the return of its territorial integrity. At the same time, at the end of September, Moscow claimed the annexation of four Ukrainian regions, in addition to the Crimean peninsula annexed in 2014. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared that he did not want to negotiate with Vladimir Putin after the annexation.
Military counter-offensives have enabled Ukraine, which can rely on Western allies for armaments, to recapture lost territories, forcing Russia to make humiliating withdrawals.
Sergei Lavrov again accused the West of waging a “hybrid war” against Russia with the help of Ukraine.