Foreign Ministers of Russia and Ukraine Sergey Lavrov and Dmitry Kuleba held the first talks after the entry of Russian troops into Ukraine. At a press conference after the meeting, Mr. Lavrov said that Russia had not attacked Ukraine. The minister said Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to negotiate with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “if they have added value.”
“Are we planning to attack other countries? No, we don’t plan to. We didn’t attack Ukraine either…” he said.
In addition, Sergei Lavrov said that those who “pump up Ukraine with weapons and encourage the dispatch of mercenaries should understand the responsibility for their activities.” According to Mr. Lavrov, Russia does not want “a neo-Nazi state to form” in Ukraine. “We have been saying that we have been making “anti-Russia” out of Ukraine for many, many years,” he added.
The meeting also discussed humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians in Ukraine. Sergey Lavrov also said that Ukraine promised to respond soon to Russia’s proposals to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. Dmitry Kuleba said that Mr. Lavrov proposed tripartite consultations with experts from the IAEA, Russia and Ukraine on nuclear safety.
Russia has been conducting a military operation in Ukraine since February 24 on the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
About the course of the 15th day of the military operation – in the online broadcast “Kommersant”.