Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in Moscow that Russia was ready for serious trilateral or bilateral negotiations with the US and Ukraine. Recalling the 2022 talks in Istanbul, Lavrov argued that the agreements had been blocked by Western intervention and stated that the special military operation would not stop during negotiations. He noted that Moscow’s conditions had not changed and that it was open to reasonable compromises based on security, NATO not moving closer to its borders, and the protection of the rights of Russian speakers. Lavrov said they appreciated US initiatives and clarified that no trade-off involving a settlement in Ukraine in exchange for Iran had been proposed. He described the EU’s positions on Crimea, Donbas, the 1991 borders, and NATO as “meaningless” and said Europe was seeking secret contacts. Stating that Russia would not attack Europe, Lavrov reported that European countries had detained 12 ships since January.
Background
Russia is no stranger to the FikirPilot archive: over the past 90 days, we have published 19 news reports mentioning the country, the most recent dated September 15, 2026.