According to the Russian delegation, negotiations with Ukraine are difficult, but “there is hope for a compromise,” TARS quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying.
The same assessment is given by some Ukrainian negotiators, in particular the staff of President Volodymyr Zelensky, he added in an interview with Russia’s RBC TV channel.
Commenting on the statements of the Ukrainian side about the course of the talks, Lavrov called for allowing the negotiators to work in a calmer environment, without “inflaming another hysteria.”
According to him, Russia is ready for similar contacts in the future, but it is necessary to know “what added value they have.” At a meeting with the first Moscow diplomat in Antalya on March 10, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that, according to his Russian counterpart, he had not presented any new ideas.
Serhiy Lavrov recalled Zelensky’s recent calls, as he put it, “close the skies (over Ukraine) to NATO, start fighting for Ukraine, recruit mercenaries and send them to the front.” “All this was quite aggressive, but the reaction of the North Atlantic Alliance, which still has sensible people, apparently cooled this enthusiasm,” said the Russian Foreign Minister.
“It is clear that Ukraine is not a member of NATO. We have heard about the open door for many years, but now we hear that we will not enter. This is true and it must be acknowledged, “Zelensky said yesterday in a video address to the leaders of the United Expeditionary Corps, a European union led by London that organizes joint military exercises.