Russia claimed Kyiv was trying to evade “constructive negotiations” on a way to end the war ahead of a crucial US-Ukraine summit on Sunday.
Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, said in comments published on Sunday that Ukraine was trying to turn around its fortunes on the battlefield instead of preparing for talks with the US on “stable agreements to resolve the initial reasons for the conflict”, Moscow’s byword for demands that all but amount to Kyiv’s capitulation.
Lavrov also accused European countries — which have worked with Ukraine on proposed changes to US President Donald Trump’s peace plan — of trying to block efforts at a settlement.