In an interview with the Chinese news agency Xinhua, which was published on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov was asked about the Russia-Ukraine talks. “At the moment, the Russian and Ukrainian delegations are discussing the possible draft almost daily, via video conference. “This document should contain such elements of the post-conflict situation as the permanent neutrality, non-nuclear, non-bloc and demilitarized status of Ukraine, as well as guarantees for its security,” Lavrov said. “The agenda of the talks also includes de-depopulation, the recognition of the new geopolitical reality, the lifting of sanctions and the status of the Russian language, among others.” Lavrov said Russia was “in favor” of continuing the dialogue between the two countries, but said “the process is difficult”. Mykhailo Podolyak, who has been involved in negotiations between Ukraine and Russia and is an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, disputed those remarks, speaking to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency. “The issue of global international sanctions against the Russian Federation is not being discussed at all. “Because the reason for their introduction by the world community has not yet been eliminated, namely the occupation of part of the territory of Ukraine and the insidious violation of our territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Podolyak said. Satellite photos show damage from Russian bombing in the last pocket of the Mariupol resistance Ocasio-Cortez and Musk enter into an awkward Twitter exchange He said Lavrov’s statements were surprising and that the Russian official was in the habit of commenting “on what you do not participate in and what you do not see inside the process”. Podolyak told the news agency that the Russian military had “discussed” the issues of “de-escalation and the Russian language” with Ukrainians in Mariupol, Bukha and Kharkiv, citing the locations of the alleged Russian atrocities in Ukraine. “It is necessary once again to urge the representatives of the Russian Federation to refrain from comments that are not credible and in any way correspond to the real course of the negotiation process,” he told the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
