Lavrov ruled out political concessions to the US before a new round of negotiations
Russia is ready to consider economic proposals from the US, but does not intend to make political concessions for the sake of restoring relations with Washington. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made this statement on the eve of a new round of negotiations between American representatives and Moscow.
Lavrov said this on October 20 at a meeting with young diplomats who have just joined the Russian Foreign Ministry. His words were reported by RIA Novosti.
The Russian minister commented on the prospects for cooperation with the administration of US President Donald Trump and possible proposals from American negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
According to Lavrov, Moscow does not rule out concluding new economic and financial agreements with Washington if they meet Russia's interests. However, such agreements, he claimed, should not be accompanied by political concessions from the Kremlin.
"We will see what they offer. If they offer something that is beneficial to us economically and financially, then why not?" — Lavrov said.
The minister stressed that the Russian authorities intend to be guided by their own interests and do not expect a change in the West's attitude in exchange for economic cooperation.
At the same time, Lavrov separately noted that Moscow does not expect a significant revision of US sanctions policy even under the Trump administration.
According to him, the current US president's decision not to impose additional large-scale sanctions on Russia does not guarantee that such an approach will be maintained in the future. The Russian minister reminded that the next US president could change the foreign policy course.
Lavrov also stated Russia's readiness to restore relations with Western states, but only in areas that Moscow considers beneficial. He ruled out a return to the previous model of cooperation that existed before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
At the same time, the Russian minister did not specify which political concessions Moscow rejects with regard to peace talks on Ukraine. His statement concerned primarily economic agreements and relations with the United States.
Witkoff to travel to Russia after talks with Zelenskyy
Lavrov's statement came amid a new stage of diplomatic consultations on ending the Russian-Ukrainian war.
On October 20, negotiations between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Trump's special representative Steve Witkoff, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb took place in Oslo.
Jared Kushner, who is also involved in American diplomatic efforts, joined the consultations remotely. This was reported by the Norwegian government.
After the meeting it became known that on October 21 Witkoff will travel to St. Petersburg, where he intends to discuss with Russian representatives the proposals considered during the negotiations in Oslo.
As TVP World reports, the Norwegian Prime Minister confirmed the upcoming visit of the American negotiator and called the consultations constructive.
It is assumed that the American side will present to Moscow ideas prepared with the participation of Ukraine and European partners. The possibility of a meeting between Witkoff and Vladimir Putin had also been discussed earlier, but concrete results of the upcoming negotiations are not yet known.
Among the main issues of diplomatic consultations remain the conditions for a possible cessation of hostilities, security guarantees for Ukraine and further international support for Kyiv.
At the moment, the parties have not announced the achievement of a new peace agreement or the agreement on concrete conditions for ending the war.
