Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to meet his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky once "circumstances became adequate," Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday. Lavrov, in a press statement, noted that such a summit is conditional to a consensus agenda, and this "term has not been met yet," requiring more preparations through diplomatic channels, thereby clearly ruling out such an event soon.
According to Kuwait News Agency, Lavrov highlighted the recent US-Russian summit held in Alaska as a demonstration of Moscow's readiness to show flexibility on several issues raised by US President Donald Trump. However, Lavrov blamed Zelensky for the impasse at the political level, stating that he had repeatedly rejected Trump's proposals to break the deadlock and settle the conflict with Russia.
The crisis began in February 2014, when Moscow sent tank-led forces into neighboring Ukraine, occupying some lands and posing a threat to the state. Meanwhile, Putin was recently cited by media suggesting that Kyiv should secede the region of Donbas to pave the way for a settlement. He also emphasized that Moscow would not accept Kyiv's efforts to join NATO or bring in foreign troops.