MOSCOW, February 10. /TASS/. The United States is ready to help resolve the Ukrainian conflict by tackling the root causes of the conflict and is aware of the need to settle the territorial issue based on existing realities, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.

"They [the United States] see the root causes, they are ready to contribute to the settlement by eliminating these root causes, 'Ukraine must not join NATO,' the territorial issue should be resolved based on the realities that have developed, taking into account the will of the people living on the respective lands," Lavrov said in an interview with Russia’s NTV television channel.

The Russian foreign minister also recalled a statement made by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who, during the initial meeting in Saudi Arabia in February 2025, spoke about the importance of not missing an opportunity to "take advantage of and implement mutually beneficial projects that coincide with the national interests" of Moscow and Washington.

At the same time, Lavrov pointed out that the Russian and US sides shared a common stance that in the event of a conflict of interests, "it would be a crime to allow this to escalate into a heated confrontation, or any other confrontation."

"However, now we hear from US President Donald Trump and his team — Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner — who are working not only on Ukraine, but also on the Middle East, Palestine, Iran, and prospects for Russia-US trade and economic cooperation, saying, ‘if only we could remove Ukraine,’" Lavrov added.