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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia remains committed to the peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian crisis and to agreements reached with Ukraine in Istanbul negotiations.
Lavrov assessed Ukraine's recent actions in remarks to Russian media in the capital, Moscow, reaffirming Russia's position on ongoing diplomatic efforts.
Pointing to Ukrainian forces conducting attacks with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) against civilian targets on Russian territory between May 20-23, Lavrov noted that there were deaths and injuries in these attacks.
Saying the attacks were carried out as a result of some European countries, particularly Britain, France, and Germany, supporting Kiev, Lavrov said, "We are certain that these countries also have a share in the crimes committed. We will work to end this policy."
Lavrov said, "It is clear that this is an attempt to disrupt the negotiation process initiated in Istanbul in line with the agreements reached between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump."
Despite recent developments, Lavrov stated that Russia would continue working on agreements reached with Ukraine in Istanbul.
"We remain committed to the peaceful resolution of the crisis. We are always open to negotiations. We are also committed to the agreements reached between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul. We are about to complete our work on preparing lists for the prisoner exchange of 1,000 people for 1,000 people in the negotiations," he said.
Minister Lavrov recalled that they agreed to present their views on a possible cease-fire with Ukraine in detail in negotiations, saying, "As soon as the prisoner exchange is completed, Russia will deliver the draft document it is working on to the Ukrainian side."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated Russia remains committed to agreements recently reached in Istanbul and will be ready to present Ukraine with a draft document outlining the terms of a long-term peace agreement after the completion of the ongoing prisoner exchange.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made statements regarding the prisoner exchange conducted with Ukraine today. Lavrov stated that they are determined to find a "peaceful solution" to the war that has been ongoing between Moscow and Kyiv for more than three years.
In his statement, Lavrov said, "We continue to remain committed to a peaceful solution. We are always open to talks, and I want to emphasize that we remain committed to the agreements recently reached in Istanbul. We are also working intensively on the second part of the agreement."
"In this part, both sides will prepare a draft document outlining the conditions for reaching a permanent, long-lasting and comprehensive solution. After the prisoner exchange is completed, we will be ready to present our draft to the Ukrainian side. The Russian side is in the final stage of giving this document its final form."
Saying that Ukraine sent approximately 800 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Russian targets in the last 3 days, Lavrov stated that this was a "direct result" of the support given to Ukraine by European Union countries that visited Kyiv in recent days.
"We are certain that these countries will be held accountable for their share of responsibility in these crimes," he said.
Emphasizing that such actions undermine peace talks, Lavrov said, "This is an attempt to prevent the progress recorded after the agreements reached between the Russian and US presidents in Istanbul. We will continue this work despite all kinds of provocations."
The Russian foreign minister detailed ongoing diplomatic efforts, stating that work on prisoner exchanges remains a priority in the negotiation process.
Russia has indicated readiness to move forward with comprehensive peace discussions once the current prisoner exchange arrangements are finalized.
The statements reflect Russia's position on maintaining diplomatic channels while criticizing what it characterizes as external interference in the conflict resolution process.
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