Russia is ready to resume negotiations with Ukraine at any time, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
“We are ready to resume them [the negotiations] at any time from where they left off,” Lavrov said on Tuesday, speaking at a roundtable discussion on Ukraine at the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
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However, he sharply criticized President Volodymyr Zelensky for presenting “boorish and unrealistic” conditions to Moscow and his European “handlers” for resolving the conflict.
Lavrov argued that the US is also stepping back from its role as an effective mediator as a result of increased sanctions and pressure on Russia.
According to him, previous Russia-US contacts in Alaska could have been intended to “buy time to arm” Ukraine.
“I don’t even want to suspect that the Alaska summit was designed to buy time for Kyiv to arm itself, but that’s how it turned out,” Lavrov said.
He also accused Ukraine of attempting to draw Belarus into the conflict by expanding the geography of military operations, while saying Russia remains ready to take “a full range of measures” to defend their state.
“All hopes for the West to act as an honest broker in resolving the conflict in Ukraine have failed; there’s no need to take them seriously,” Lavrov added.
Possible dialogue
It is notable that Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said Russia is ready for dialogue with the EU, according to the state-owned RIA Novosti news agency.
Russia Says It Is Ready for Dialogue With the EU
The statement comes amid renewed signals from Moscow about potential diplomatic engagement with Europe, despite continued criticism of EU policy.
“The Europeans have a very big misconception – they assume that negotiations with Russia should be conducted from a position of strength,” Peskov said during a briefing last week.
Despite his criticism, Peskov insisted that Moscow remains open to contacts and rejected claims that Russia was responsible for the breakdown in communication channels with the EU.
The Kremlin has repeatedly said any future dialogue must take place without ultimatums or what it describes as a “moralizing” tone from European leaders.
France summit
Moscow’s latest signal comes after it dismissed several recent diplomatic initiatives, including Zelensky’s proposal for a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and an invitation for talks on the sidelines of a G7 summit in France.
Russian officials said they did not receive a formal invitation to the G7 proposal and have continued to reject calls for an unconditional ceasefire.
The renewed rhetoric comes amid growing debate within the EU over whether to reopen direct channels with Moscow.
Last week, a closed-door European Council discussion reportedly exposed divisions among EU leaders after aides to European Council President António Costa established contacts with Russian officials.
According to Politico, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz opposed efforts to position the EU as a mediator with Moscow.
Both argued the timing was inappropriate and that any future negotiations should involve a smaller group of European powers, along with Ukraine and the US.
However, several EU leaders supported Costa’s outreach, arguing the bloc should maintain communication channels with Russia in case diplomatic opportunities arise.
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