by RT [8-21-2025 published].

(RAD: I've been waiting for this type of clarification from the Russians. Trump's proposal of setting up a meeting between Putin & Zelensky always seemed like getting the cart before the horse. Furthermore, Zelensky's term has expired and he is showing absolutely no concrete actions towards peace!!! He is still trying to get more money & weapons to continue the conflict. He is still using the Europeans to change Trump's mind about peace. He is still killing civilians in Ukraine & Russia and acting like a terrorists. The Russians have been remarkably consistent from the very beginning that the 'root causes' must be resolved for peace, yet too many people in the West simply don't want to listen and take the appropriate actions. Zelensky is a dead man walking, no matter how you look at it. — RAD)

AI Summary: Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to meeting with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky if all key issues are resolved beforehand, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated. Zelensky, eager to keep the spotlight on himself, is pressing for a swift summit with Putin, while Lavrov claims this is merely a "special effect" and not a genuine effort to resolve the conflict. Meanwhile, Russia rejects security guarantees for Ukraine that imply confrontation with Russia, and considers Ukraine's current proposals futile.

The Ukrainian leader is pushing for talks with the Russian president to remain in the spotlight, the foreign minister has said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky if all the issues relating to the settlement of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev are worked out, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.

Following his recent talks with Putin and Zelensky, US President Donald Trump suggested that the Russian and Ukrainian leaders should next meet one-on-one before a potential trilateral summit with him. Zelensky, who visited Washington on Monday, claimed he is eager to negotiate with Putin.

Lavrov stated on Thursday that the Russian president “repeatedly said that he is ready to meet, including with Zelensky, if there is understanding that all issues that require consideration at the highest level have been worked out thoroughly” by experts and ministers.

The Ukrainian leader is pushing for a swift meeting with Putin because he wants to remain in the spotlight and is concerned that the attention of the international community towards him is declining, Lavrov said.

The foreign minister noted that Zelensky previously rejected any talks with Putin and even signed a decree in 2022 banning such negotiations, which he still has not canceled.

"Clearly, his activity in relation to staging a summit with the Russian leader also has a goal of displaying his supposedly constructive focus on the settlement process, but in reality, it is simply about replacing the serious, hard, difficult work on agreeing the principles of a sustainable resolution of the crisis... with special effects and tricks in the style of KVN and Kvartal 95,” he said, referring to shows in which Zelensky appeared during his time as a comedian.

According to Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov, during their phone call on Monday Putin and Trump supported the idea of continuing direct talks between Russia and Ukraine, which restarted in Istanbul in May, and discussed the option of raising the level of officials participating in them.

Moscow maintains that any lasting settlement must eliminate the root causes of the conflict, address Russia’s security concerns, and recognize current territorial realities, including the status of Crimea and the four former Ukrainian regions that voted to join Russia in 2022.

Moscow rejects guarantees for Ukraine that imply confrontation with Russia — Lavrov

by TASS [8-21-2025 published].

MOSCOW, August 21. /TASS/. Russia completely rejects security guarantees for Ukraine if they are built in the logic of Russia’s isolation and confrontation with it, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a news conference following talks with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

"When now, following the Russia-US summit in Alaska, where significant progress was made along the path of defining the contours and specific parameters of the settlement, European countries followed Mr. Vladimir Zelensky to Washington and there tried to advance their own agenda, which is aimed at ensuring that security guarantees that follow the logic of isolating Russia, uniting the Western world with Ukraine in order to continue an aggressive confrontational policy, containing Russia, meaning, of course, further attempts to inflict a strategic defeat on us, of course, this cannot evoke any feelings other than complete rejection," Lavrov said.

At the same time, he emphasized that Russia considers the principle of collective provision of security guarantees, which was laid down in Ukraine's proposals in Istanbul in 2022, absolutely natural and relevant today.

Russia Backs Istanbul 2022 Security Guarantees, Rejects Other Ideas - Lavrov

by Sputnik [8-21-2025 published].

Russia supports the principles of security guarantees agreed upon in Istanbul in 2022, while all other proposals are futile ventures, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

In essence, Europe is proposing foreign intervention on part of Ukrainian territory, which is absolutely unacceptable for Moscow, the Russian Foreign Minister stressed.

Ukraine's position indicates that Kiev wants to undermine the US efforts for a settlement, while Moscow is closely cooperating with Washington on this track to address the root causes of the crisis, Lavrov added.

Significant progress has been made at the Russia-US summit in Alaska in terms of defining the parameters of the Ukrainian conflict settlement, Lavrov said.

"Following the Russia-US summit in Alaska, where significant progress was made in moving towards defining the contours and specific parameters of a settlement, when following this event, European countries followed Mr. [Volodymyr] Zelensky and went to Washington and they tried to promote their agenda there... of course, this cannot cause us any feelings other than complete rejection," Lavrov told a press conference.

Ukraine is clearly showing that it is not interested in a sustainable and long-term settlement of the conflict, Lavrov added.

"The goals that remain with the current Ukrainian leadership, and these goals are certainly fueled by the Western sponsors of the Kiev regime, are directed against the efforts that [US] President Trump is making, with whom we are actively and specifically cooperating in finding long-term sustainable ways to resolve in order to eliminate the root causes [of the conflict in Ukraine]," Lavrov said.

Russia says Ukraine ‘not interested’ in long-term peace

by Insider Paper [8-21-2025 published].

Russia said Thursday that Ukraine was “not interested” in a long-term peace deal, accusing it of seeking security guarantees incompatible with Russia’s demands.

“The Ukrainian regime and its representatives comment on the current situation in a very specific way, directly showing that they are not interested in a sustainable, fair, long-term settlement,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a press conference.