Moscow, Sept 2026 : Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that Moscow remains ready to seek reasonable compromises to resolve the Ukraine conflict, while stressing that Russia's core security objectives have not changed.
Speaking at an ambassadorial roundtable on the Ukrainian settlement, Lavrov said Russia was prepared to negotiate within the framework of its existing position. He reiterated that Moscow's fundamental objectives include ensuring its security and preventing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) from establishing a presence along Russia's borders.
"We are ready, within this position, to seek reasonable compromises, but fundamentally we have not changed our objectives -- to ensure our security, to prevent NATO's presence on our borders," Lavrov said.
Lavrov also welcomed what he described as US interest in helping facilitate a settlement between Russia and Ukraine. According to the Russian foreign minister, Moscow believes Washington understands the underlying causes of the conflict better than other Western countries.
On the prospects for negotiations, Lavrov reiterated that Russia has never rejected dialogue and remains prepared to participate in talks in different formats, including bilateral and trilateral negotiations, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv would be ready to halt certain attacks if Russia agreed to take corresponding measures.
In a post on X on Monday, Zelensky said Ukraine could stop strikes targeting certain Russian facilities if its partners could ensure that Moscow genuinely refrains from attacking Ukraine's electricity system, other energy facilities, critical infrastructure and food supply routes.
"If our partners are ready to ensure that Russia genuinely refrains from striking our electricity system, other energy facilities, critical infrastructure, and food supply routes, then, of course, we are ready to ensure a corresponding halt to our strikes," Zelensky said.
He stressed that any partial ceasefire would need to be reliable and long-term, continuing beyond Russia's elections scheduled for this month.
Zelensky also said the conflict ultimately needed to end, arguing that a de-escalatory step involving critical infrastructure could serve as an initial move towards peace.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump said Russia and Ukraine had agreed to stop strikes against energy infrastructure. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Ukraine had agreed not to target Russian energy facilities and that "Russia has agreed to do, likewise!"
The Kremlin welcomed Trump's call for Kyiv to stop attacks on Russia's fuel-producing facilities.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said any appeal to Ukraine to halt attacks on civilian economic infrastructure should be welcomed.
He added that countries capable of influencing Kyiv could encourage greater flexibility, which, according to him, would contribute significantly to efforts aimed at reaching a settlement.
The latest statements come amid continued diplomatic efforts and proposals for limited measures to reduce attacks on critical infrastructure.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
