💬 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov: As for negotiations on Ukraine, what is needed above all is negotiation based on an understanding of the root causes and on working out an agreement to remove them. We have always been ready for that. The current Ukraine crisis was created by the West, primarily the previous US administration, the European Union and NATO members, who are still trying to achieve what they call Russia's defeat and support Ukraine in everything. From the very outset, the Trump administration has shown both the willingness and the ability to address the root causes of the conflict. That is precisely what gives grounds to expect that negotiations and contacts with the relevant envoys will be useful for both sides. Another point I would like to make is that it is the European Union that continues to do everything it can to prevent the situation from moving towards addressing the root causes and finding ways to reach a reliable, long-term settlement based on eliminating those causes. Read in full