MOSCOW (Agencies): Acting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated on Monday that if Western countries wish to resolve the Ukrainian crisis on the battlefield, Russia is prepared for this. “This is their [Western countries’] right, if they want to [settle the conflict] on the battlefield, it will be on the battlefield,” Lavrov said during consultations at the parliament’s upper house.
Moscow has repeatedly expressed its readiness for negotiations to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, but this readiness takes into account the current reality, Lavrov added.
Regarding the conference on Ukraine planned for June in Switzerland, to which Russia was not invited, Lavrov likened the situation to “giving a schoolboy a reprimand.” He further commented that “The conference… boils down to formulating an ultimatum to Russia once again.” This statement underscores the ongoing tensions and challenges in finding a diplomatic resolution to the crisis.