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Russia never refused negotiations on peaceful settlement of Ukrainian conflict — Lavrov

"This can be confirmed by the constructive work regarding the initiatives on behalf of the United States," the Russian foreign minister said

MOSCOW, December 11. /TASS/. Russia has never refused negotiations on finding political and diplomatic tools to resolve the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday.

"For us [Russia], a negotiated settlement… is still preferable," Lavrov said at a roundtable discussion with foreign ambassadors in Moscow. "We have never refused to negotiate and this can be confirmed by the constructive work regarding the initiatives on behalf of the United States."

The foreign minister pointed out that Russia appreciated the desire of its BRICS partners for their advocacy of a diplomatic solution on Ukraine, including with the assistance of the ‘Friends for Peace’ group set up by Chinese and Brazilian partners.

"Regarding these developments we do see a sincere desire to make a constructive contribution to the stabilization of the international situation," he added.

The BRICS group has expanded twice since being created in 2006. South Africa joined the four founding nations - Brazil, Russia, India and China - in 2011. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates became full BRICS members on January 1, 2024, followed by Indonesia on January 6, 2025. Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan were granted the status of BRICS partner states on January 1, 2025, followed by Nigeria on January.

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Foreign policy Ukraine Sergey Lavrov

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