MOSCOW, August 19. /TASS/. There are currently no prospects in sight for Ukraine talks between Moscow and the West as Western sponsors keep pushing Kiev to raise the stakes, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the International Affairs magazine.

"Unfortunately, there are no prospects for talks between Russia and the West in sight at this point. Besides, Western sponsors keep pushing the Kiev regime to raise the stakes," the top diplomat emphasized.

He pointed out that Russia viewed "the Westerners’ hypocritical calls for talks" as "a tactical ploy" aimed at once again "buying some time, providing the exhausted Ukrainian forces with an opportunity to have a respite and regroup, and flooding them with more weapons and ammunition." "However, it is the path of war, not peaceful settlement; it is perfectly clear to us," Lavrov concluded.