Russia in no rush to resume Ukraine peace talks, Lavrov says
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Peace talks with Ukraine are not Russia's top priority, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on April 18 at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey, as U.S.-mediated negotiations remain stalled.
The latest trilateral talks involving Ukraine, Russia, and the United States took place on Feb. 16, while a follow-up meeting planned for late February and later moved to early March was postponed shortly before U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.
"At this point, the issue of resuming negotiations is not our top priority. We haven't forced negotiations on anyone," he said. "We have always operated on the principle that if our partner is ready, we're ready."
President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged both Washington and Moscow to resume the process, saying he does not believe negotiations have reached a dead end.
Despite the pause, Kyiv has sought to maintain momentum, even as key disagreements persist, particularly over Russia's territorial demands.
Ukraine argues that freezing the current front line is the most realistic basis for a ceasefire, while Russia insists Ukrainian forces withdraw from parts of Donbas as a precondition for any agreement — a demand Kyiv rejects.
The diplomatic slowdown has also been affected by the limited availability of U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are involved in negotiations related to Iran.
The envoys proposed holding talks in the United States, but Zelensky said Russia indicated it preferred alternative venues such as Turkey or Switzerland.
Kyiv hopes a potential visit by Witkoff and Kushner could help revive negotiations, though their schedules remain uncertain. A U.S. official familiar with the matter told the Kyiv Independent on April 15 that Washington is discussing a possible trip by the envoys to Ukraine.
