Russia open to talks on Ukraine, deal must be firm — Lavrov – Russian Politics & Diplomacy

MOSCOW, December 29. /TASS/. Moscow is ready for talks on Ukraine, but the agreements in this regard must be inviolable, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with TASS.

He noted that during his December 19 year-end press conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin outlined Russia’s principled position on the deal. “We have always been ready for talks and we still are,” the top Russian diplomat reiterated. “I would like to emphasize in particular that this can only be about reliable, legally binding agreements, which must remove the root causes of the conflict and enshrine the mechanism of the impossibility of violating them,” he explained.

Discussing the possibility of negotiations, the Russian foreign minister noted that it is necessary to understand “with whom and about what they will be held.” “They are not useless questions at all. The president discussed them in sufficient detail during the meeting with journalists that I mentioned,” concluded Lavrov.

Putin, while answering questions on December 19 during a combined year-end question-and-answer session and press conference, said Moscow was ready to negotiate on Ukraine without preconditions, but taking into account of the current situation and based on previously concluded agreements.