Russian foreign minister says Moscow never refused to negotiate with Kyiv

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – Moscow has never refused to negotiate with Kyiv, there is a lack of goodwill for it on the other side, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Saturday.

Speaking at a news conference on the results of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Türkiye, Lavrov said since the Istanbul talks in March 2022 there have been no serious proposals on peace talks with Ukraine.

"We have no lack of goodwill. We see its absence from the other side. We still note the desire of the other side to defeat Russia on the battlefield," he said.

Lavrov criticized French President Emmanuel Macron’s proposal to send NATO troops to Ukraine as well as US Secretary of State Lloyd Austin's statement that in case of Ukraine's defeat, there will be a direct fight between Russia and NATO.

"These trends in the West among the Western leadership negate all assurances that they are interested in some kind of political settlement. There are enough facts that the West is leading to a military solution," he stressed.

Commenting on a leaked recording where allegedly German officers discuss how to hit effectively the Crimean Bridge and ammunition depots in Russia so that everyone holds the US responsible, Lavrov said: "The situation clearly indicates that the warmongers in Europe are still strong."

"If anyone had doubts, the latest statements by the French president, Pentagon chief, and the conversation of German generals suggest that the warmongers do not want to change their course in any way to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield. We understand that," he said.

Lavrov said Switzerland's Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis surprised him when he said that there are some 10 peace plans on Ukraine, most of which are "secret."

"It seems to me that this statement alone shows that he is not deep in the essence of what is happening," he noted.

Russia does not rely on Switzerland's mediation because Geneva lost its neutrality when it joined anti-Russian sanctions and backed Ukraine, the minister stressed.

- Finland, Sweden's accession to NATO

Asked about Russia's response to Finland and Sweden's accession to NATO, Lavrov said two new military districts -- Moscow and Leningrad -- were created where weapons relevant to arising threats would be deployed.

The minister said if Russian state assets are seized in the West, Moscow will reciprocate by confiscating Western assets in Russia.

“They come up with various modifications of theft. They say, let's not touch these billions, we invest these funds in our banks, and we will make a profit and take it for ourselves. It's still stealing,” he stressed, urging the West to respect the principle of inviolability of property.

- Armenia's accusation 'lies'

Turning to the deteriorating relations between Russia and Armenia, Lavrov said he could not confirm media reports, claiming Yerevan demanded Russian border guards to leave the Armenian airport Zvartnots, but this would fit perfectly into the logic of the current Armenian authorities who say that building ties with Moscow was a "mistake."

Lavrov called "lies" Armenian statements accusing Russia of "provoking" Azerbaijan "to attack" Karabakh in September 2020.

"This is nothing but, let's call it by its proper name, a lie. The question arises about the purpose for which this outright lie is being introduced into the consciousness, firstly, of the Armenian people, and, secondly, into the consciousness of those who observe the ongoing processes from the outside, rub their hands and do not hide the desire to remove Russia from South Caucasus," he said.

Lavrov urged Armenians to look at the "track record" of "engineers" behind the current processes in the republic, noting that in no place where the US interfered over the past 50 years -- Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, -- the life of people improved.

He stressed that it was Russia who stopped the war in Karabakh in 2020, and those who accuse Russia of inciting it are "ungrateful."

The minister emphasized that the statement that the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) "abandoned" Armenia "in trouble" is also untrue.

The official recalled that the organization was ready to deploy its monitoring mission, however, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan demanded the CSTO members to condemn Azerbaijan and when got a refusal, blocked the document, formalizing the mission's activities.

Instead, Pashinyan turned to the EU and agreed to deployment of its mission in Armenia although Europ did not condemn Azerbaijan's actions either.

"The Armenian leadership decided to rely on non-regional countries courting Yerevan, promising to help it in all its troubles if only Armenia would break off relations with Russia and the integration structures established in our common region. The West does not hide this. This is its main goal in relations with the countries of Central Asia, Armenia and any other post-Soviet states," he said.

- Normalization between Türkiye, Syria

The Russian foreign minister reiterated Moscow's readiness to contribute to the normalization between Syria and Türkiye, noting that at the moment it is impossible due to the situation in Gaza.

“Now practical steps are impossible due to the fact that what is happening in the Gaza Strip and other Palestinian territories directly affects all participants in this process. I am referring to the bombing by the Americans of certain facilities belonging to pro-Iranian forces, as well as Iraq, Syria, and Yemen," he said.

Lavrov noted that US President Joe Biden said Iran is a "direct participant" in Hezbollah's actions because it supplies weapons to them.

"An analogy with Ukraine immediately arises. The West tells us that they only supply weapons to Ukraine and are not at war with Russia. You can take the formula of US President Joe Biden that Iran is a direct participant in these processes because it supplies weapons, and apply it to Ukraine,” he said.

- ‘Collective West blatantly disregards UN Charter’

Lavrov highlighted the collective West led by the US, stating that it “blatantly disregards the principles of the UN Charter, including the principle of the sovereign equality of all states.”

Lavrov pointed out that the Western bloc utilizes the current international situation to impose its own rules.

He stated that the sessions at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other events prompted a reconsideration of how countries should approach international obligations.

Lavrov, who held a press conference after the ADF held at the NEST Congress Center in the Belek Tourism Area, where Anadolu serves as the "Global Communication Partner," described the forum “as a relatively new political science format initiated by President Erdogan.”

“I would like to take this opportunity to once again thank our Turkish colleagues through the media for their hospitality and warm welcome,” he said.

In his evaluation, Lavrov expressed hope that the discussions at the forum were beneficial, emphasizing that the sessions where President Erdogan spoke highlighted the need to reconsider where they stand and how they approach international obligations.

* Esra Tekin in Istanbul also contributed to this story