Mention of US-Russia Leaders' Phone Call on the 12th
On Excluding Europe: "No Reason to Invite"
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, ahead of his meeting with the United States, said on the 17th (local time) that "the US and Russian leaders agreed to leave behind the abnormal relationship and move forward."
According to Russian media such as TASS, Minister Lavrov told local reporters that on the 12th, Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump had a phone call, mentioning this.
Minister Lavrov will hold a ministerial-level meeting on the 18th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the US delegation including US Secretary of Defense Mark Rubio. Lavrov explained that at the meeting, "I will mainly listen to what the US representatives have to say." He added, "The United States plays an important role in the Ukraine crisis and can contribute to its resolution."
Regarding the absence of the European side at this meeting, he said, "What reason is there to invite Europe?" and "If they are invited to the negotiating table, I don't know what contribution they can make."
When asked about the possibility of conceding territories such as occupied areas of Ukraine during the ceasefire negotiations, he sharply responded, "Do you want me to think about that?" and "How could we concede?" He further explained, "The territorial cession of the area called 'Ukraine' was done by the Soviet leadership during the formation period of the former Soviet Union."
The Russian side stated that the ministerial-level talks with the United States on the 18th will discuss the bilateral summit and the Ukraine ceasefire negotiations, which both countries agreed to start immediately.
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