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Military operation in Ukraine

Putin-Zelensky meeting required as soon as key issues clarified, says Lavrov

According to the Russian foreign minister, the Ukrainian party only seeks to generate an image of negotiations and settlements

MOSCOW, March 28. /TASS/. A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky will be necessary as soon as there is clarity on all vital issues for Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.

"A meeting [between Putin and Zelensky] is needed as soon as we have clarity on all key issues," the diplomacy chief stated.

According to the top diplomat, the Russian side has directed the West’s attention to these pertinent issues for years, yet it has not been heard. "Now, the main thing is to stop pandering to the Ukrainians who only seek to generate an image of negotiations and settlements. They succeeded in this when they sabotaged the Minsk agreements shortly after they inked them in February 2015, and as a result declared that they would not implement them," Lavrov continued. "That’s why their ability to mimic the process is well known to us. This time they won’t get away with it. We need a results-based outcome of the negotiations, which will be enshrined by the presidents."

Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24 launched a special operation in Ukraine in response to a request for help from the leaders of the Donbass republics. He stressed that Moscow had no plans to occupy Ukrainian territories. Its sole aim, Putin emphasized, is to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine.

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Sergey Lavrov Military operation in Ukraine

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