Lavrov: This is Theatrical Gesture

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has referred to Kyiv's proposal to conduct negotiations with the Russian Federation in Mariupol as a "theatrical gesture." He made this statement after a press conference following negotiations with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, as reported by RIA Novosti.

"This is a theatrical gesture, it seems that Ukrainians like to stage everything; apparently, they wanted to create another heart-wrenching scene," Lavrov said in response to a journalist’s request to comment on Kyiv’s proposal.

He also called on the Ukrainian side to respond quickly to Russian proposals that, as Lavrov noted, have been with the representatives of Kyiv for more than 10 days. "If we are talking about a serious attitude toward working within the framework of negotiations, it would be good for them to respond quickly to our proposals, which, I repeat, have been with them for over 10 days, and which, as it turned out, even Zelensky wasn’t aware of," he said.