Thus, he spoke about the statement by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken that Kyiv is ready for negotiations with Moscow.
He recalled that the Ukrainian head Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree that prohibits negotiations with the authorities. Therefore, the first step should be an order to abolish such a decree.
"Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that we are not avoiding negotiations. And those who leave should understand that the longer they delay, the more difficult it will be to negotiate, "the Russian Foreign Ministry quoted Lavrov as saying.
Earlier, Putin said that if Washington believes that Kyiv is ready to conduct peace talks, then let it cancel Zelensky's decree banning them.