MOSCOW, March 19. /TASS/. Washington is putting pressure on Kiev’s delegation engaged in talks with Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at the international track of the Leaders of Russia Contest on Saturday.

"Zelensky suggested holding talks and our president agreed," he noted. "However, there is a constant feeling that someone - most likely, the US - is holding the Ukrainian delegation’s hand, preventing it from accepting the demands that I view as minimal. Still, the process continues," Lavrov added.

Lavrov said he hopes that Russia’s special operation in Ukraine will end with the signing of comprehensive documents covering the issues of Ukraine’s neutral status, security and law on the Russian language.

"As for Ukraine’s internal dialogue, I think it is up to the Ukrainians to decide. After our operation in over and I hope yields comprehensive documents on the issues I have mentioned - security, Ukraine’s neutral status with guarantees of its security. <…> And, naturally, amending in the civilized manner legislative bases concerning the Russian language, Russian education and the Russia mass media, as well as the laws encouraging the country’s Nazification and the adoption of a law prohibiting it," he said at the International track of the Leaders of Russia contest.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in response to a request for help by the heads of the Donbass republics. He stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories, but aimed to demilitarize and denazify the country.

The first round of talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations was held on February 28 in the Gomel Region of Belarus. The second round took place in Belovezhskaya Pushcha on March 3, and the third round in the Brest Region of Belarus on March 7. On March 10, Lavrov met with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmitry Kuleba on the sidelines of a diplomatic forum in Antalya, Turkey. The parties are maintaining talks via video conference.