Moscow Ready for Russia–U.S.–Ukraine Talks; Lavrov Says Russia Was Not Responsible for Their Suspension

Dragon Media News Desk

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow was ready to advance talks between Russia, the United States and Ukraine. He claimed, however, that Russia was not responsible for the process being suspended. Ukraine halted the negotiations in 2025, he said, and the trilateral talks that followed were also suspended, again not at Russia’s initiative.

According to Lavrov, the United States proposed holding talks among the three countries. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that, after Russia’s parliamentary elections, the sides could agree on the timing, venue, agenda and other details. Lavrov accused Ukraine of trying to disrupt the State Duma elections and claimed that an unprecedented number of attacks targeted civilians and polling stations on all three days of voting. Several people were injured and one person was killed, he said.

Lavrov also said Russia had fully accepted the proposals put forward by the United States during the August 2025 summit between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump. He accused the United States of being unable to stand by those proposals because of European pressure. “Our conscience is clear,” he said, adding that questions about moving to concrete action should be directed at the other parties.

Lavrov said the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States had discussed balancing member countries’ differing national interests. No international organization or pair of countries shares identical views on every issue, he said, adding that diplomatic culture means finding common ground.

Before the meeting, Lavrov held talks with Turkmenistan’s Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov on their strategic partnership, trade, investment and economic cooperation. The two sides agreed to organize exhibitions, publish archival documents and hold cultural events to mark the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2027, he said. The next meeting of the Russian–Turkmen Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation is expected to take place before the end of 2026.

Lavrov said both sides had approved plans to preserve historical memory and build a Friendship monument in recognition of the Turkmen people who sheltered residents evacuated from besieged Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War. He also said Russia had proposed that Turkmenistan expand its ties with the Eurasian Economic Union and take an active part in developing the Eurasian Charter of Diversity and Multipolarity in the 21st Century.

An environmental summit of the five Caspian states is scheduled to follow the Commonwealth of Independent States summit.