Russia Received No Constructive Proposals on Ukraine Peace Talks Since 2022 – Lavrov

ANTALYA, Turkiye (Sputnik) – Russia’s top diplomat Sergey Lavrov held a presser where he shared his opinion on the most crucial global issues and commented on unfolding trends in the world’s politics.

Russia has not received any serious proposals for talks with Ukraine since the 2022 meeting in Istanbul, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Saturday.

At the same time, Russia has never given up on the idea of peace negotiations with Ukraine, Lavrov said, adding that this question has been raised many times, including with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"There have been no serious appeals to us regarding the negotiations. By serious, I mean proposals that are really aimed at ensuring the legitimate interests of the parties involved. There are no such proposals," Lavrov said at a press conference at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

On Switzerland's Plans to Mediate

Russia does not count on Switzerland's efforts toward a peaceful settlement in the Ukraine conflict as the country has long lost its neutrality, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, adding that he had told this to his Swiss counterpart, Ignazio Cassis.

"We do not rely heavily on Switzerland's services. Switzerland has traditionally been a venue and a country that has helped in every possible way to reach compromises, agreements in negotiations due to its neutrality. It lost its neutrality long ago ... I said this frankly to my colleague [Cassis] when we were talking to him in New York," Lavrov told journalists.

On January 15, Swiss President Viola Amherd said that Volodymyr Zelensky had asked Bern to host a peace summit on Ukraine. Kiev wants to hold summits to approve Zelensky's "peace formula," the Ukrainian presidency explained. Cassis later stressed that Russia needed to be part of any peace process related to the Ukraine conflict.

On Leaked German Talks

The leaked conversation between German military officials on striking Russia, the remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron and US Secretary of State Lloyd Austin indicate that the "war camp" in Europe is still strong and is not changing its course aimed at defeating Moscow, Sergey Lavrov said.

On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron said Western leaders had discussed the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine and had neither reached a consensus on the matter or ruled out the option. On Thursday, US Secretary of State Lloyd Austin said that in case Ukraine loses in the conflict, NATO might have to fight against Russia.

"The situation clearly indicates that the war camp in Europe is still pretty strong," Lavrov said on the sidelines of the 2024 Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov on the German plot to attack the Crimean bridge:

"We have heard how they are trying to shift the blame to US or British officers who are already there [in Ukraine]. They're trying to avoid being seen themselves. This is the same as when Hollande… pic.twitter.com/l5CUyzooeT

— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) March 2, 2024

The latest remarks by Macron and Austin, as well as the conversation between German military officials show that Europe is not willing to change its course "towards the strategic defeat of Russia."

On Mideast Rapprochement Possibility

Any practical steps to normalize relations between Turkiye and Syria are impossible at the moment because of the situation in the Gaza Strip, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"We reiterate our interest in promoting the normalization of relations between Syria and Turkiye ... We have been working on this and, in fact, we continue to work on it, but practical steps are not possible now because what is happening in the Gaza Strip and other Palestinian territories directly affects all participants in this process," Lavrov told reporters.

The bombing by the United States of certain facilities belonging to pro-Iranian forces, and US attacks on Iraq, Syria and Yemen, is a distraction to this process, he added.

Speaking about situation in the Gaza Strip, the Russian foreign minister said that Russia is concerned about Israel's intention to mount a military offensive in the southern Gazan city of Rafah, adding that Israel stood firm on its plan to eliminate Palestinian movement Hamas.

"We are also concerned that now, right on the eve of the holy [Muslim] month of Ramadan, an operation is being prepared to clear out Rafah, where two-thirds of the entire population of Gaza, who have fled the violence in the rest of the Strip, are gathered," Lavrov said at the press conference.

If Israel's operation was to take place, many refugees would go to Egypt, which has spoken against such scenario, Lavrov said, describing the possible outcome as "an ethnic cleansing."

"There are also statements that the Gaza Strip should be a buffer zone for Israel. And the Israeli leadership has said that this is not about creating a Palestinian state, but about ensuring the security of the Jewish state. This is 100% contrary to all UN resolutions," Lavrov added.

The top Russian diplomat also mentioned negative developments taking place in the West Bank, where Israeli army raids against Palestinians have intensified.

Countermeasures to Sweden and Finland Joining NATO

Russia will deploy additional weapons in the newly created Moscow and Leningrad military districts in response to Finland and Sweden joining NATO, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"We have already taken organizational decisions and created the Moscow Military District and the Leningrad Military District. Additional weapons will be deployed there, which will be adequate to the challenges that may appear on the territory of Finland and Sweden," Lavrov told journalists.

It was surprising to learn how quickly the two countries abandoned their neutrality, which had served them well for decades, the top Russian diplomat said, adding that years of good neighborliness had gone to waste.