Trump administration should make first move to 'restore dialogue,' Lavrov says

Russia is willing to improve relations with the incoming administration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, if the United States makes the "first move" in restarting dialogue, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Dec. 26.

"If the signals that are coming from the new team in Washington to restore the dialogue that Washington interrupted after the start of a special military operation (Russia’s term for its war against Ukraine), are serious, of course, we will respond to them," Lavrov told reporters in Moscow.

"But the Americans broke (off) the dialogue, so they should make the first move," Lavrov added.

Lavrov's comments come ahead of Trump's January inauguration, who has pledged to get the U.S. "out" of Russia's war and negotiate a quick peace deal.

Trump has nominated retired general Keith Kellogg as his special Ukrainian peace envoy, tasked with leading negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow. Kellogg is expected to visit Ukraine before Trump's inauguration.

Lavrov's comments come alongside those of Russian President Vladimir Putin who, on Dec. 26, provided contradictory statements on bringing the war to an end in 2025, saying that Russia aims "to end the conflict," while also stating his hopes that Russia will "achieve success on the front line."

Following Putin's comments, Lavrov lambasted the possibility of a ceasefire, adding that "a truce is a path to nowhere."

"We need final legal agreements that will fix all the conditions for ensuring the security of the Russian Federation and, of course, the legitimate security interests of our neighbours," Lavrov added. Lavrov has regularly used distorted historical facts about NATO expansionism as the Kremlin's justification for Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Putin previously expressed willingness to engage in dialogue with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump at any time to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. However, he reiterated Moscow’s unwavering demands for a peace agreement, including the rejection of any territorial concessions and a firm stance against Ukraine’s NATO membership.

Russia ‘not opposed’ to having Slovakia host peace talks, Putin says

Responding to questions from journalists, Putin said that Slovakian officials “would be happy to provide their own country as a platform for negotiations. We are not opposed, if it comes to that. Why not? Since Slovakia takes such a neutral position.”

The Kyiv IndependentDmytro Basmat