Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, following a meeting with heads of foreign diplomatic missions in Moscow, said Russia is ready for a dialog on Ukraine and guarantees of its security, but only on an equal basis while taking into account Russian interests, TASS reports.
"And if something can be discussed, it can be discussed in absolutely equal conditions, when no one puts any 'formulas' on your table, which are absolutely meaningless and futile," Lavrov said.
He added that the Russian side is ready to have an honest conversation based on the new realities and Russia's security interests and is ready to ensure such agreements that would take into account the security interests of other countries, including Ukraine.
However, the minister pointed out that the West was not yet ready to discuss negotiations on the conflict settlement.
"When the whole situation becomes clearer, then, perhaps, we can already talk about the format of possible negotiations. Now no one in the West is ready for this. Some semi- provocative appeals to convince Russia to work according to Zelensky's 'formula', I think, are no longer taken seriously by anyone," the Russian foreign minister said. According to him, the West recognizes that Zelensky's "peace formula", which it promotes, is a pretext for the Russian Federation to take Russia seriously.
