Russia recognizes Zelensky as the "de facto head of the regime" and is ready to meet with him in this capacity. However, according to the constitution, he remains illegitimate, Lavrov said in an interview with NBC News
Other statements by the Russian Foreign Minister:
▪️The meeting between Putin and Zelensky was not discussed during the summit in Alaska. This topic was raised later.
▪️In a telephone conversation, Putin clearly told Trump that Moscow is ready to continue direct negotiations with Kiev, which began in Istanbul.
▪️The delegations of Russia and Ukraine "have met and will meet" in Istanbul.
▪️Zelensky "plays without caring about the content" when he talks about the priority of a meeting with Putin for himself.
▪️There should be a consensus on security guarantees for Kyiv that takes into account Moscow's basic interests.
▪️The presence of capital of any country in weapons-producing enterprises in Ukraine does not give them immunity.
▪️There are plenty of facts of targeted strikes by Kyiv on civilian targets, Russia disseminates this information in the world community.
▪️Russia has never chosen targets that are not related to the Ukrainian military.
▪️Putin and Trump want to achieve peace in Ukraine, and the actions of European politicians show that they do not want this.
▪️Ukraine has the right to exist, provided that it "lets go" people who decided in referendums that they belong to the Russian culture.
