MOSCOW, July 25. /TASS/. Russia is ready for a dialogue to resolve the Ukrainian conflict, but Kiev’s Western patrons should be pushed to engage in such talks, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev told a meeting of BRICS High Representatives for National Security in Johannesburg.

He welcomed the efforts of fellow BRICS members toward "contributing to a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis through talks and offers of mediation." "I would like to stress that Russia is ready for dialogue as [we have] repeatedly said. But it is the Kiev regime’s Western patrons that must be prompted to negotiate," Rossiyskaya Gazeta quoted Patrushev as saying at the event.

He described the situation around Ukraine as a vivid example of the destructive actions of Westerners. "We appreciate our BRICS partners’ understanding of the reasons why the special military operation is being carried out and their balanced opinions regarding relevant developments," the Russian Security Council secretary emphasized.

"The United States and its allies have been doing all they can to escalate the conflict, by increasing weapons supplies to Ukraine," he lamented, referring to depleted uranium weapons, long-range cruise missiles and cluster munitions that he noted have been banned by numerous countries.