Moscow rejects front-line ceasefire as condition for negotiations
Photo: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (Getty Images)
Russia will not agree to halt its military advance along the current front line as a condition for returning to negotiations aimed at ending the war, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated.
"Russia will not stop at the front line as a condition for launching negotiations on Ukraine," Lavrov said.
Conflicting signals from Moscow
Only yesterday, Russian officials made a series of contradictory statements regarding potential peace talks with Ukraine.
In particular, Lavrov unexpectedly claimed that Moscow was ready to resume negotiations from the point at which they had previously been suspended.
At the same time, FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov stated that there is no one in Ukraine, other than President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with whom Russia could hold meaningful talks.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin initially said there were currently no prerequisites for negotiations with Ukraine. However, just hours later, he stated that Russia was prepared for dialogue based on agreements reached during talks in Istanbul.
RBC-Ukraine also reported that the Kremlin responded to Volodymyr Zelenskyy's ultimatum to Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described it as "incitement to continue the war."
