Russia agrees that security guarantees for Ukraine be provided on equal basis with participation of countries, including China, US, UK, France, says foreign minister
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday that Moscow is in favor of “truly reliable” security guarantees for Ukraine.
“As for the reports that Great Britain, France, and Germany want to create and develop collective security guarantees, we are in favor of these guarantees being truly reliable,” Lavrov said during a joint press conference with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi in Moscow.
Lavrov expressed that Kyiv's negotiating team proposed basic principles of an agreement on ending the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and ensuring a sustainable settlement during initial peace talks in the Turkish metropolis Istanbul in April 2022.
He said Kyiv's proposal included principles such as Ukraine’s refusal to join NATO or any other military blocs, as well as confirmation of Ukraine's neutral and non-nuclear status.
Russia agrees that Ukraine's security guarantees be provided on an equal basis with the participation of countries such as China, the US, the UK, and France, Lavrov added.
“I am sure that in the West, especially in the United States, they understand perfectly well that seriously discussing issues of ensuring security without the Russian Federation is a utopia, a path to nowhere,” he added.
