Russia says Ukraine’s statements on peace talks contradictory

VIENTIANE: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday he “does not listen” to what he called Ukraine’s contradictory statements on peace talks.

Lavrov spoke after Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba visited China for talks this week. President Volodymyr Zelensky then said Beijing sent a “clear signal” it supported Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

Answering questions from Russian journalists on the sidelines of a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the Laos capital, Lavrov referred dismissively to Zelensky and Kuleba’s comments.

Kuleba, in an interview with Ukraine’s TSN channel Friday about his visit to Beijing, said Kyiv could not be forced to negotiate and that China, which has sought to paint itself as a mediator after Russia’s invasion, respected Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

Kuleba “is saying this not for the first time and has sometimes said completely opposite things,” Lavrov said.

“Not long ago they were talking about negotiations. Zelensky talked of readiness to finally sit at a table with Russian representatives. I don’t listen to them, to be honest,” he added.