Russia and Ukraine's summit meeting should put an end to negotiation process – Lavrov
Russia is ready to continue negotiations with Ukraine in any format, but a potential summit meeting must be carefully prepared and put an end to the negotiation process, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday.
"We are ready for any format," Lavrov said at a press conference in Moscow, Russian media reported.
"But when it comes to high-level meetings, it is necessary to prepare them most carefully at all previous stages so that the summits do not result in a worsening of the situation, but really put an end to the negotiations that we are ready to continue," the Russian minister added.
The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry noted that during a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin "made a proposal not only to continue these negotiations [with Ukraine], but also to think about raising the level of the heads of delegations."
“And this fits in precisely with our proposal that, within the framework of this process, a separate block should be devoted to examining the political aspects of the settlement, along with the military and humanitarian ones,” the minister noted.
He added that "this idea was positively received by President Trump." "We expect that he will convey it and explain it to the Kyiv representatives, and we will get a reaction," Lavrov said.
He also said that Moscow cannot agree to a situation where collective security issues in connection with the situation in Ukraine will be resolved without Russia.
"I am sure that the West, and above all the United States, understands perfectly well that seriously discussing issues of ensuring security without the Russian Federation is a utopia, a road to nowhere," Lavrov emphasized.
