Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called Ukraine's proposal to hold special negotiations in Mariupol a “theatrical gesture”.< /strong>
According to him, Russia is allegedly still waiting for answers to its proposals, which, they say, were handed over to Kyiv 10 days ago.
Lavrov said this on April 26 during a joint press conference with UN Secretary General António Guterres .
The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry said that he had received an offer from the Ukrainian team to hold regular talks right in Mariupol near the walls of Azovstal.
“What can I say? A theatrical gesture,” Lavrov said.
According to him, in this way, the Ukrainians allegedly were going to make “another tearful scene”.
Lavrov also said that Russia is allegedly still waiting from Ukraine for a response to the Kremlin's proposals, which, they say, “are on the Ukrainian side for more than 10 days,” but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky allegedly “did not hear about them.”
It should be noted that, according to the adviser to the head of the Office of the President Mikhail Podolyak, the Russian side did not transfer to Ukraine any new document regarding the future peace agreement between the countries. Only proposals for a formulaic document prepared by the Ukrainian delegation came from the Kremlin. Consequently, today there is only one formulaic document – the Istanbul Communiqué, which Ukraine handed over to the Russian side.
In turn, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky told how the rhetoric of the aggressor country has changed since the beginning of the war until now. So, according to him, at first it was based not on the desire to agree, but on ultimatums.
In addition, the head of state noted that negotiations between the presidents of Ukraine and Russia depend on Vladimir Putin.
