Lavrov: Ukraine’s peace plan is meaningless

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a conversation with Izvestia newspaper: A proposed peace meeting will not be successful until its basic principles, including allowing Russia to attend, are not changed.

He continued: We are ready to negotiate in any case, but not according to the “peace formula” of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. How can a politician in Washington, Brussels, London, Paris or Berlin say that there is no alternative to the Zelensky formula?

The Russian Foreign Minister also called the provisions of this plan, which calls for Russia’s withdrawal from the territories under its control, including Crimea, and the restoration of Ukraine’s borders after the Soviet Union in 1991, unacceptable, and also calls for a means to respond to Russia’s February 2022 invasion. Zelensky rejects any negotiations with Moscow on the basis of a peace plan.

Lavrov also said that he met with Swiss officials and diplomats who assured him that the peace meeting that Bern agreed to host would include Russia’s participation and be based on realistic terms.

He also noted: Swiss authorities have told him that they understand that nothing can be solved without Moscow and that this is unfair, and when this plan comes to fruition, Russia will be invited.