MOSCOW, December 15. /TASS/. The leaders of a number of Western countries have reached out to hold meetings with Moscow to discuss the Ukrainian issue and European security, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

At a joint press conference with his Belarusian counterpart Sergey Aleinik, following a board meeting of the foreign policy agencies of both countries, he said: "I do not want to and I have no right to name names, but a number of high-level, well-known leaders of Western countries, including one specific Western leader, a very well-known one, several times, <…> at least via three different channels of communication, sent signals as to why don’t we meet and talk about what to do with Ukraine and with European security," the top Russian diplomat said.

"If somebody is interested in putting an end to attempts to build their own security at the expense of others, the attempts to infringe on Russia’s legitimate interests and the legitimate interests of Russians residing in many countries of our continent - then by all means," he continued. "We are always ready to discuss these issues seriously."

Lavrov quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin who noted that those who are against negotiating should realize that things will only get more difficult "the more they force [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky to wage war." "As for inquiries about talks, the president, including yesterday, at his Direct Line and press conference, touched on this subject, as he had done repeatedly over previous months. We have never rejected the negotiations and this question should not be addressed to us," the Russian foreign minister reiterated.

That said, he noted that those who "tie future interaction with Russia with the need for the Nazi regime to win over the Russian Federation" know nothing about politics and do not understand what it means to have a balance of power. "Of course, we have nothing to talk about with such people," Lavrov concluded.