Copyright pravda
Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s Foreign Minister, made a statement on Ukraine following the plenary session of the third Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security. Lavrov Notes Trump’s Shift on Ukraine Commenting on U.S. President Donald Trump’s position regarding the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict, Lavrov recalled that Trump had earlier advocated a long-term, sustainable peace rather than a temporary ceasefire lasting a year or two. The minister described the recent change in Trump’s rhetoric as unexpected. “It was certainly surprising that U.S. President Donald Trump suddenly reverted to positions that had already been ‘worked out’ and reflect only the feverish desire of Europeans and the Zelensky regime to gain a pause in order to continue pumping weapons into the Kyiv ‘structure’ — the ‘presidential office,’ the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and all other components of the Kyiv regime,” Lavrov stated. Putin and Trump’s Alaska Meeting On August 15, in the U.S. state of Alaska, at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base in Anchorage, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump held a meeting that lasted two hours and forty-five minutes. Lavrov expressed hope that the logic of establishing long-term peace voiced by Trump in Alaska would prevail. He emphasized that Moscow believes in the U.S. president’s desire to achieve a real settlement of the conflict rather than “create conditions for further infusions of weapons and money into the Kyiv regime.” Earlier, Trump again promised to achieve peace in Ukraine. He noted that while Washington had managed to settle conflicts in the Middle East, it had not yet done so in Ukraine. “But we will settle it,” Trump assured. Putin Calls for Dialogue over Confrontation The Russian leader pointed out that the initiative for both the location and format of the summit came from the United States. He added that Washington had proposed holding the next meeting in Budapest during their latest phone call. “Dialogue is always better than confrontation, than disputes, and especially better than war. Therefore, we have always supported the continuation of dialogue,” said Vladimir Putin. Putin also reminded that Moscow has consistently advocated maintaining dialogue with Washington. He stressed that the two countries have many areas of potential cooperation, and the key is to move from pressure to a constructive discussion of prospects.
