Lavrov rejected the report about a telephone conversation between Putin and Zelensky
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov denied reports that the Kremlin intends to organize a phone call between Putin and Zelenskyy instead of a face-to-face meeting. However, he did not directly answer the question of whether Putin is ready for a phone conversation.
Lavrov denied the report about a phone call between Putin and Zelensky
When a DW correspondent asked about the report published by The Kyiv Independent citing Ukrainian officials, Lavrov said, "Do not believe them." After that, he repeated Putin's previous position, saying that if Zelensky wants to meet, he should come to Moscow.
The journalist also asked if the two leaders could meet at the G20 summit in Miami in December. Lavrov reminded that Ukraine is not a member of the "Group of Twenty" and repeated his statement about coming to Moscow.
A few hours earlier, The Kyiv Independent, citing high-ranking officials in Ukraine, wrote that Moscow was seeking to replace a face-to-face meeting with a phone call. One of the publication's sources stated that the Russian side had previously attempted to organize such a dialogue as well.
The publication also cited Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov's October 30 statement as a basis for this assumption. Peskov said that Putin is "ready for dialogue with everyone." When asked whether the Russian president would answer Zelensky's call, he replied, "So far, no one has called."
The Kyiv Independent's interlocutors said that limiting the contact to a phone call could be an attempt to avoid negotiations on key issues. In their view, a trilateral format involving the US and the engagement of Europeans in the talks are necessary for important agreements and security guarantees.