Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
The Russian Foreign Minister says that Russia has never refused negotiations, and are ready to talk, if Ukraine is.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov declared on Tuesday that Moscow stands ready to restart discussions if Ukraine agrees to join them.
Speaking at a diplomatic roundtable, Lavrov insisted his government had never refused dialogue, according to Russian news agency TASS.
“If our colleagues are ready, I think it is quite possible to resume them,” he said, adding that “we have something to say.”
Moscow continues to push its original demands. Citing border security concerns, the Russian foreign minister repeated long-standing demands for the “denazification” and “demilitarization” of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Washington is pushing both sides toward a pause on infrastructure strikes.
US President Donald Trump announced that Moscow and Kyiv agreed to stop striking energy facilities, pointing directly to soaring global diesel costs, but neither Russia nor Ukraine has confirmed that they have agreed to the truce.
Power grid promises
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded cautiously. Kyiv would only pause strikes if Western allies guaranteed long-term protection for Ukrainian power stations and food routes.
“If our partners are ready to ensure that Russia genuinely refrains from striking our electricity system, other energy facilities, critical infrastructure, and food supply routes, then, of course, we are ready to ensure a corresponding halt to our strikes,” Zelensky wrote according to Kyiv Post.
The Kremlin called the proposed truce a “good initiative” through spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Still, Russian officials noted an attempted Ukrainian drone strike on energy sites shortly after the announcement.
Another push for peace
This push follows high-level visits. American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier this month to explore what Washington could “actually do” to end the war.
Those Moscow talks lasted over three hours. They centered on a broader “peace package” proposal before the envoys traveled straight to Kyiv for follow-up discussions with Ukrainian officials.
Zelensky called the meetings “very substantial” while advocating for a trilateral negotiating format. “Let’s prepare all this among ourselves first, and then communicate it publicly,” he urged.
Where future talks might happen is already taking shape. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov pointed to Abu Dhabi as Russia’s priority venue for any upcoming meeting.
