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Lavrov discusses situation in Ukraine with Saudi top diplomat

The Russian minister said that Russia is grateful to its Saudi friends for their balanced position

MOSCOW, March 9. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has discussed the situation in Ukraine with Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.

"Of course, we touched upon the situation in and around Ukraine. We are grateful to our Saudi friends for their balanced position and genuine interest in facilitating progress towards a political solution," the Russian foreign minister said at a press conference following talks with his Saudi counterpart on Thursday.

"As you know, this path is currently blocked by [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky’s decisions and the position on Western countries who firmly insist on inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield before launching negotiations," Lavrov went on to say.

He also noted that Russia had briefed Saudi diplomats on the latest developments with regard to Moscow’s special military operation and stressed that its fundamental approaches to the issue remained unchanged.

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Foreign policy Sergey Lavrov Saudi Arabia

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