MOSCOW, May 23. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly emphasized that the conflict in Ukraine is “not his war,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at the high-level conference ‘Historical South Russian Lands: National Identity and Self-Determination of Peoples.’
The top Russian diplomat recalled the May 16 Russian-Ukrainian meeting in Istanbul. “The Ukrainians sat and discussed the agreements that eventually materialized regarding the exchange of prisoners of war. Both sides agreed to prepare a memorandum outlining the issues that should be included in the settlement and the priorities. They agreed, and nothing extraordinary happened. They agreed because they expected the West’s support, including that of the United States, to be eternal, allowing them to have everything they wanted forever. However, [US] President [Donald] Trump has shown an alternative understanding of the situation,” Lavrov stated.
“He emphasizes repeatedly that it is not his war; it is Biden’s war, which is true. His position that the US is guided by national interests extends to the Ukrainian situation. What national interest does the US have in Ukraine, except to contain, surround, and provoke Russia constantly, as Democratic administrations have promoted? Nothing else,” the foreign minister noted.
The first round of talks between Russia and Ukraine took place on May 16 in Istanbul. Following the meeting, Moscow and Kiev agreed to hold the “1,000-for-1,000” swap, to detail their vision of a potential future ceasefire and to continue negotiations. The head of the Russian delegation, presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, said that Russia was satisfied with the meeting’s outcome. He also said that Ukraine had requested direct talks between Vladimir Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Moscow took “this request into consideration.”
