The words of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who called Ukraine’s initiatives to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict “a stream of consciousness”, is a slap in the face of France and Germany, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said.
“Let me remind you that in his last conversation with the President of France and the Chancellor of Germany, Vladimir Putin promised them a meeting of Normandy format ministers. The French minister is ready. The German minister is ready. I am also ready for this meeting, and we are in a constructive mood. And Sergei Lavrov, unfortunately, shows that he is set not on a constructive conversation between ministers, but on a competition with his own speaker in verbal balancing act. Therefore, Lavrov’s words are just a slap in the face of France and Germany,” Kuleba said at an online briefing on Oct. 20.
He stressed that the leaders clearly agreed that a ministerial meeting should take place, which will pave the way for the summit.
“At the same time, we still have not received signals from Russia about its readiness to hold it. The latest statement by Sergei Lavrov undermines the peace process and runs counter to the agreements of the leaders of the Normandy format states. I urge my Russian counterpart to agree to hold a meeting of ministers in the Normandy format and sit down at the negotiating table,” the minister said.
