Ukraine-Russia negotiations: Lavrov denies attack and rages on West - Scholz urges Putin
Created: 03/10/2022, 15:20
By: Cindy Boden
On Thursday the foreign ministers of Ukraine and Russia met for negotiations.
Scholz and Macron spoke to Putin again.
News ticker.
Ukraine conflict *: For the first time since the beginning of the war two weeks ago, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Ukrainian colleague Dmytro Kuleba met for negotiations.
The Ukrainian minister announced that there was no progress on the ceasefire
(see update of March 10, 11:08 am).
Colleague Lavrov grumbled about the West
(see update from March 10, 11:26 a.m.).
Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron are urging Putin to find a negotiated solution
(see update from March 10, 12:43 p.m.).
This
news ticker on the negotiations and diplomatic attempts related to the Ukraine war
is continuously updated.
More on the background of the Ukraine crisis* here.
Update from March 10, 2:50 p.m .:
Will Gerhard Schröder now become
Ukraine hope?
The former chancellor will apparently meet Vladimir Putin, reports a US magazine.
The SPD politician has recently been heavily criticized for his persistent work as a Russian gas lobbyist and explosive statements in the Ukraine conflict.
Update from March 10, 2:47 p.m .:
According to US Vice President Kamala Harris, NATO has moved closer together in view of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
"NATO is stronger and Russia is weaker because of what (Russian President Vladimir) Putin did," Harris said Thursday during a visit to the Polish capital of Warsaw alongside President Andrzej Duda.
“We are all very clear about that.” Duda condemned the “barbaric” actions of the Russian forces in Ukraine.
The Russian war of aggression has "characteristics of a genocide".
Ukraine-Russia negotiations - Russia no longer wants to work in the Council of Europe after being suspended
Update from March 10, 2:25 p.m .:
After the suspension of Russia by the Council of Europe, the country no longer wants to participate in the work of the organization.
Russia will "not participate in the transformation" of the Council of Europe by NATO and the EU "into another platform for invoking Western superiority and self-reflection," the Russian foreign ministry said.
"May they enjoy communication with each other without Russia," it said.
Whether Russia wants to completely leave the Council of Europe, which sees itself as the guardian of human rights and to which 47 countries belong, remained open.
A spokesman for the Council of Europe told the AFP news agency that "no official notification had been received from Russia" about the country's departure.
The Council of Europe had sharply criticized the Russian invasion of Ukraine and subsequently suspended Russia's membership.
This means that Russian representatives have been excluded from the Committee of Ministers, the decision-making body of the Council of Europe, and the Parliamentary Assembly until further notice.
The Committee of Ministers had stressed that Russia would remain a member of the Council of Europe and the European Convention on Human Rights.
Ukraine war: Turkish minister cautiously optimistic about Ukraine-Russia talks
Update from March 10, 1:09 p.m.:
Despite the lack of progress, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was cautiously optimistic after meeting his Russian and Ukrainian colleagues
(see update from March 10, 11:55 a.m.)
.
"Nobody expected that this meeting would solve all problems, but a start had to be made," he said.
Cavusoglu was involved in Dmytro Kuleba's negotiations with Sergei Lavrov as a mediator.
Now he hopes that the contacts will be continued so that trust can be created.
According to Cavusoglu, the meeting of the three ministers took place in a "difficult climate", but was civilized.
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In this photo provided by Turkey's Foreign Ministry via AP, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) sits in front of his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba during a tripartite meeting chaired by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
© Cem Ozdel/Turkish Foreign Ministry/AP/dpa
Ukraine war: Scholz and Macron urge Putin to negotiate a solution
Update from March 10, 12:43 p.m .:
Talks between the foreign ministers of Ukraine and Russia ended quite quickly on Thursday
(see previous updates).
But they go further on another level: Germany and France have once again asked Russian President Vladimir Putin for a negotiated solution to the Ukraine war.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz * (SPD) and French President Emmanuel Macron phoned the Kremlin boss on Thursday morning, according to AFP, according to government circles in Berlin.
They called for "an immediate ceasefire" and insisted that any solution "must come through negotiations between Ukraine and Russia."
The three heads of state and government decided to stay in close contact with each other over the next few days.
Negotiations between Lavrov and Kuleba ended - No significant progress
Update from March 10, 11:55 a.m .:
The first meeting of the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine since the beginning of the war did not bring any significant progress.
It was also not possible to agree on humanitarian corridors for the city of Mariupol on the Azov Sea, said Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba after talks with his Russian colleague Sergey Lavrov in Antalya, Turkey.
Lavrov accused the West of exacerbating the conflict by supplying arms to Ukraine.
"We see how dangerous our Western colleagues, including the European Union, are now acting." The conversation in a hotel lasted only about an hour and a half.
In the days before, only lower-level negotiators from both sides had met.
Kuleba subsequently said Lavrov was unable to arrange escape corridors himself.
"He will discuss this with the relevant authorities in Russia," the Ukrainian minister said.
In addition, a 24-hour ceasefire was discussed "to solve the most urgent humanitarian problems".
Literally, Kuleba said: "We have made no progress on this issue.
Because it seems these decisions are being made by others in Russia.”
Ukraine-Russia negotiations: talks between Zelenskyy and Putin soon?
Both Lavrov and Kuleba were in principle ready for further talks.
“We are for any contacts.
But contacts must bring added value,” said Lavrov.
As a condition, Kuleba stated that there were “prospects of substantial discussions and a serious search for solutions”.
According to Lavrov, Russian President Vladimir Putin also has nothing against meeting his Ukrainian colleague Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
However, this requires “preparation work”.
Lavrov claimed that Russia did not attack Ukraine.
Rather, his country felt its security threatened.
Kuleba said the conversation was easy and difficult at the same time.
“Simply because Minister Lavrov basically presented his traditional narratives about Ukraine.
Difficult because I did my best to at least find a diplomatic solution to the humanitarian tragedy that is unfolding before our eyes on the battlefield in the besieged cities.”
Statements by Lavrov and Kuleba after the Ukraine-Russia negotiations for reference:
Update from March 10, 11:45 a.m .:
Lavrov makes it clear that from a Russian point of view, the decisive talks on the practical points of negotiations in Belarus should be discussed - what needs to be done to end the Ukraine war.
Colleagues were warned from the start on Thursday “that no parallel track” should be set up here.
Update from March 10, 11:35 a.m .:
Lavrov once again explains the Russian view: “We wanted a Ukraine that is peaceful, friendly to us, demilitarized, which does not pose a threat to a new Nazi state, a Ukraine in which the Russian one is Language, Russian culture, Russian Orthodox Church is not forbidden.” All the pleas to the West “to bring the Ukrainian leadership to their senses were not answered”.
The West constantly works against everything Russian.
The Western reactions to the Russian actions are "very dogged", "rabid".
It is currently about Russia's right to be on the political map of the world and "that Russian interests are respected".
Lavrov also said at the press conference: "We do not intend to attack other countries, we have not attacked Ukraine either."
Ukraine war: Lavrov from Russia vents his displeasure with the West
Update from March 10, 11:26 a.m.:
“Why should the interests of our security be determined by NATO?” Lavrov asked at a press conference.
"We are not interested in trying to justify our actions in Ukraine in any way, we presented these actions very specifically," he says.
And further: "We don't want the tendency in Ukraine to continue that of Ukraine becoming a neo-Nazi state."
Asked about the effects of the sanctions on Russia* and the problems in the country, Lavrov is combative: "We will manage it." He assures that one will emerge from this crisis as a state "with sound mind".
There is "no illusion that the West can be a reliable partner".
Russia never wants to be dependent on the West "in any way" again "in the crucial areas of our lives".
Lavrov, like Kuleba before him, was open to further talks - "if we can add value and solve a problem".
Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine: Lavrov comments after the talks
Update from March 10, 11:23 a.m .:
After talking to his Ukrainian colleague, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov also responded to a question about alleged attacks on a maternity clinic in Mariupol.
According to Lavrov, these reports are "very emotional", "but unfortunately there is a second side in every situation" that allows an "objective impression" to be obtained, but this gets "too little attention".
He dismissed the allegations as false reports.
Russia had already informed the United Nations on March 7 that there were no longer any medical staff in the former clinic, but a camp of ultra-radical fighters from the Ukrainian battalion Azov.
He spoke of a "manipulation" of the entire world with information on alleged atrocities committed by the Russian army.
Update from March 10, 11:17 a.m .:
Lavrov explains that monetary issues were mainly discussed at the initiative of Turkish friends and also explained “what measures our army is taking on the ground to alleviate the fate of the civilian population”.
The Ukrainian side took documents to Kyiv and assured that there would be an answer.
Update from March 10, 11:11 a.m .:
The Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov is now also speaking.
He says Russia is still open to humanitarian corridors, as the Russian side envisages.
So far, their routes have always failed.
Sergey Lavrov (left), Foreign Minister of Russia, and Dmytro Kuleba, Foreign Minister of Ukraine (archive images, montage) © Pool EPA/AP/Pool Reuters/AP/Pool EPA/AP/dpa
Ukraine war: Talks ended - no progress on ceasefire
Update from March 10, 11:08 a.m .:
According to the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba, there was no progress regarding a ceasefire in the talks between the Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers.
"We talked about a ceasefire, but no progress was made in this regard," Kuleba told journalists in Antalya, Turkey, on Thursday.
Update from March 10, 11:02 a.m .:
Kuleba would like a diplomatic solution.
"But we don't have them yet," said the Ukrainian foreign minister after the meeting with his Russian counterpart.
Until then, Ukraine would continue to “defend the people from Russian aggression”.
Kuleba would like the format, i.e. the meeting of foreign ministers, to be continued.
"I'm ready," he says.
The prerequisite is that the Russian side also negotiate objectively and in a focused manner and refrain from “using the propaganda slogan”.
Negotiations between Ukraine and Russia ended
Update from March 10,
11:01 a.m.: Suddenly the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba steps in front of the camera.
"We will not give up, we are looking for diplomatic solutions," he says.
Update from March 10, 10:30 a.m.:
The foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine, Sergey Lavrov and Dmytro Kuleba, have started their negotiations in Turkey
(see first report)
.
Before the joint consultations began, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu received the two ministers separately.
According to his ministry, Kuleba wants to put forward three main demands from Ukraine:
an immediate ceasefire
an improvement in the humanitarian situation in Mariupol, Kharkiv, Sumy, Volnovakha and other Ukrainian cities
a withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine
Negotiations in the Ukraine war: Kuleba and Lavrov meet for the first time since the beginning of the invasion
First report from March 10th:
Antalya – The sometimes extremely bloody fighting in Ukraine continues.
But now the governments are talking to each other again.
For the first time since the beginning of the Russian invasion, the foreign ministers of Ukraine and Russia - Dmytro Kuleba and Sergey Lavrov - will meet on Thursday (March 10).
Both met in Turkey for the negotiations.
The politicians sat opposite each other in a hall in Antalya on Thursday morning in the presence of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Çavusoglu, according to a photo released by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
As a condition for a cessation of fighting, Russia is demanding that Ukraine* declare itself neutral in its constitution.
In addition, Kyiv must recognize the annexed Black Sea peninsula of Crimea as Russian and the separatist areas of Luhansk and Donetsk as independent states.
So far, however, Ukraine has largely rejected this.
Nevertheless: Kuleba had landed in Antalya for talks "about the cessation of Russian hostilities and the end of the war against Ukraine," a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Kyiv wrote on Twitter on Wednesday evening.
Ukraine-Russia negotiations in Turkey: observers do not expect a breakthrough
The Russian government recently spoke of "progress" in negotiations with the Ukrainian side and, unlike before, assured that it would not seek to overthrow the government in Kyiv.
For his part, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj* made his willingness to compromise clear* and moved away from the call for his country to join NATO.
However, observers do not expect a breakthrough and a quick end to the violence in Ukraine.
The fact that Russia is now ready for talks at a higher level is interpreted by experts as meaning that the Kremlin's war plan does not seem to be working.
Reports of exhausted fighters and military vehicles that are stuck are increasing.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also doubts the success of the Russian attack in Ukraine *.
Other voices emphasize that the talks could be part of a delaying tactic by Russia.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan* had repeatedly offered to mediate in the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv.
Turkey is still able to talk "both with Ukraine and with Russia," Erdogan stressed on Wednesday.
The meeting in Antalya is about "preventing the crisis from developing into a tragedy".
Turkey, as a NATO member, supplies combat drones to Ukraine, but also has close economic ties with Russia, for example in tourism and in wheat and energy supplies.
In this photo provided by Turkey's Foreign Ministry via AP, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba (L) is greeted by his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu before the trio meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
© Cem Ozdel/Turkish Foreign Ministry/AP/dpa
Ukraine war: Kuleba and Lavrov meet for negotiations - "Limited expectations"
On Wednesday, Kuleba assured in a Facebook video that he would do everything possible to make the "talks (as) effective as possible", but admitted that he had "limited expectations".
"I don't have high hopes, but we will do everything we can to get the maximum out of it," he said.
He stressed that "everything will depend on the instructions Lavrov received before these talks."
A Western official said he was "not optimistic" about the meeting.
He asked: “Why is Lavrov engaging (in these talks)?
Obviously we hope it is because they (the Russians) want what is happening to come to an end."
The Turkish President will call his US colleague Joe Biden* at 4 p.m. CET, as the White House announced on Wednesday evening.
The US government recently warned of a possible Russian use of chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine.
Negotiations in Turkey between Russia and Ukraine - including talks on the security of Ukrainian nuclear facilities
Talks on the security of the Ukrainian nuclear plants* are also to be held in Antalya.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, wants to travel there himself.
After a series of incidents since the beginning of the Russian attack, Grossi had proposed negotiations on nuclear safety guarantees to avoid a serious nuclear accident.
(AFP/cibo/dpa) *Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
