This came during his speech at a meeting of the Diplomatic Club in Moscow, where he addressed developments in the negotiations between his country and Ukraine, which were scheduled to resume in Istanbul.
Lavrov stated that French President Emmanuel Macron had demanded a ceasefire as a precondition for negotiations, adding that this demand was actually aimed at strengthening Ukraine's military capabilities before any negotiated settlement. He confirmed that the Russian side informed Paris of its unacceptability, noting that Washington supported Moscow's position on the need to give negotiations a chance without preconditions.
Lavrov noted that Russia and Ukraine reached a preliminary agreement in Istanbul in 2022, but Britain intervened to prevent the Ukrainian side from continuing the negotiating process, saying that London continues to influence the decisions of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
On May 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed resuming direct negotiations with Ukraine without conditions, setting the new round for Istanbul on May 15 and asking Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to host it. Ankara welcomed the initiative, affirming its readiness to provide a conducive environment for achieving a just and lasting peace, and the Ukrainian government expressed initial support for the proposal.
For his part, German Foreign Minister Johannes Wadebühl, during his participation in an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Antalya, invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to join the negotiating table in Istanbul, noting that the Ukrainian president was ready to participate and that "the Russian seat is still vacant."
Vadipol confirmed the near-complete consensus between Berlin and Washington on developments in the Ukrainian file, warning that Moscow's absence from the negotiations would lead to tightening European sanctions.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed in press statements that President Putin will not personally participate in the Istanbul talks, explaining that a Russian delegation headed by his advisor Vladimir Medinsky is already in Turkey, awaiting the arrival of the Ukrainian delegation. Peskov said it is too early to discuss the level of Russian participation in the talks, given the lack of clarity on the Ukrainian side's position.
It's worth noting that Istanbul previously hosted several rounds of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in March 2022 and July of the same year, during which an agreement was reached, brokered by Turkey and the United Nations, to facilitate the shipment of Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea as part of efforts to mitigate the global food crisis. The agreement was extended three times before Moscow suspended its participation in July 2023.
In another context, German Minister Wadebol addressed US President Donald Trump's demand to increase NATO countries' defense spending to 5% of GDP, stressing that Germany is prepared to support any collective decision on the matter, following its constitutional amendment allowing for an increase in the defense budget.
