Russian Foreign Minister; Sergei Lavrov who spoke to Russian media on Friday said that Moscow does not want war with Ukraine.
He emphasized that the talks with NATO and the security proposals received from the United States are not over.
The U.S. proposals were better than proposals received from NATO, said Lavrov, who said he expected to meet U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the next couple of weeks.
Lavrov said President Vladimir Putin would decide how to respond to the proposals.
Recall that Anthony Blinken on Wednesday revealed that the United States delivered a written letter to Russia addressing Moscow’s concerns. The letter, Blinken said, was in response to Russia recently outlining “its concerns and proposals in writing” to the United States.
The Russian foreign minister said on Thursday that Russia sees “no positive reaction” from the U.S. on Moscow’s main security demands and that President Vladimir Putin would “decide on our next steps,” according to Russian media Interfax.
Advisors to the heads of state of Russia, Ukraine, France, and Germany met on Wednesday and published a joint statement on the website of the French presidency.
Reaffirming their commitment to upholding the ceasefire that was agreed upon within the “Minsk agreements,” they stressed unconditional compliance with the ceasefire regardless of differences on other issues related to implementing the Minsk agreements.
Russian warships have been rehearsing shooting at airborne and sea targets during exercises in the Black Sea to the south of Ukraine, Reuters reported citing the Russian Ministry of Defense early on Friday.
