US facing headwinds in convincing Zelenskyy, NATO allies, ready to meet Rubio: Russian FM Lavrov

Moscow, Nov 9 (PTI) The US seems to be facing headwinds in persuading Kyiv and NATO allies not to interfere in its efforts towards settling the Ukraine crisis, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Sunday.

Lavrov said he is ready to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio but maintained that ending the conflict is impossible without taking Russian interests into account and eradicating its root causes.

Lavrov's comments came weeks after unsuccessful efforts for a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump, as a follow up of the talks between the two leaders at Anchorage in Alaska on August 15 where they had not reached a deal to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

“The Americans assured us back then (Alaska summit) that they would be able to ensure that Zelenskyy would not impede the achievement of peace. Apparently, certain difficulties have arisen on this issue,” Lavrov said in an interview with state news agency RIA Novosti.

“Furthermore, as far as we know, Brussels and London are trying to persuade Washington to abandon its intention to resolve the crisis through political and diplomatic means and fully engage in efforts to exert military pressure on Russia, that is, to finally become part of the 'war party',” he said.

Lavrov also underscored that despite the compromise reached at the summit in Anchorage, Moscow is firm on its fundamental principles: Russia's territorial integrity and the choice of the residents of Crimea, Donbass, and Novorossiya are not negotiable.

“We are now awaiting confirmation from the United States that the Anchorage agreements remain in force,” Lavrov added.

Putin has repeatedly stated that Russia advocates exclusively for a long-term settlement without any temporary ceasefires and that achieving such a settlement is possible only after addressing the root causes of the conflict.

The root causes he identifies include the threats to Russia’s national security arising from NATO expansion and the oppression of the Russian-speaking population in Ukraine.

Lavrov had talked to his US counterpart Marco Rubio on October 20 to prepare for the Budapest summit between Putin and Trump, which was reportedly cancelled due to Moscow’s rigid stand for seeking a political settlement before a ceasefire.

The Russian foreign minister also said he was in regular contact with his US counterpart Marco Rubio and he is ready to meet in person to resolve irritants in bilateral US-Russian relations accumulated since the earlier administrations of Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

A regular communication between him and Rubio was essential for discussing the Ukraine issue and advancing bilateral agenda, he added.

“There are many irritants in Russian-American relations, inherited from the previous US administration. It will take a long time to clear up the mess,” Lavrov said. “With the arrival of the new administration, we sensed a willingness to resume dialogue. It is underway, but not as quickly as we would have liked.” The agency interview was published amid Western media speculations about the 75-year-old Putin loyalist having fallen from favour of his boss over the cancellation of the proposed Budapest summit.

“Two rounds of consultations were held in the spring, and a number of agreements were reached to improve the functioning of diplomatic missions. For our part, we believe it is important to go beyond the diplomatic missions within this dialogue,” he said.

In the long-winding interview, Lavrov said Russia and the US must address issues such as establishing direct air service and “returning Russian diplomatic property illegally seized by Barack Obama in December 2016, three weeks before Donald Trump's first inauguration.” “Michael Flynn, the then nominee for national security adviser, called our ambassador and, on behalf of the future US president, asked him not to react harshly to the provocations of the outgoing Democratic administration,” Lavrov claimed and added, “Flynn said, 'When we move into the White House, we'll sort everything out'.” “For now, we're waiting. Our proposals regarding both diplomatic real estate and air travel have been conveyed to the American side,” the Russian minister said.

Responding to a question about the Trump administration’s readiness to de jure recognise Crimea as Russian territory as part of the peace plan, Lavrov said: “For obvious reasons, we don't disclose all the details of our discussions with the American side on the Ukrainian issue, although when the media leaks outright fake news, we naturally comment accordingly.” “Let me reiterate that, in our view, ending the conflict is impossible without taking Russian interests into account and eradicating its root causes,” he asserted.

Responding to the question about EU plans to seize Russian assets to provide loans to Ukraine, Lavrov said: “Such actions constitute outright deception and robbery. Apparently, the long-held instincts of colonisers and pirates have awakened within Europeans. No matter how the scheme for extorting Russian money is orchestrated, there is no legal way to do it.” “Russia will respond appropriately to any predatory actions in accordance with the principle of reciprocity, based on national interests and the need to compensate for the damage caused to us,” Lavrov warned and expressed hope that Brussels and other Western capitals “may yet come to their senses and abandon the planned mis-adventure.” The Russian Army, meanwhile, is advancing to capture strategic towns of Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeisk) and Kupyansk where in pincer movements more than 10,000 Ukrainian troops along with NATO advisers are blocked. PTI VS NPK NPK