Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has expressed frustration at the lack of progress made during high-stakes negotiations with his British counterpart, Liz Truss, as tensions between Moscow and the West continue to flare over Ukraine.
Speaking to journalists at a press conference following the talks in the Russian capital on Thursday, Lavrov said that the exchange had been “like the deaf talking to the blind,” and that the sides had struggled to find common ground. “Nobody is hearing each other, and unfortunately our efforts to explain ourselves have not been heard.”
Truss used the meeting to urge the Kremlin “to take the path of diplomacy” and argued that “a war in Ukraine would be disastrous for the Russian and Ukrainian people and for European security.”
Lavrov hit back, however, saying that “we have sued for diplomacy for all these years and we will continue to do so.” According to him, “Russia has been cheated and wronged for many years, many times, when it comes to agreements and obligations from other states.”