The diplomat said this during a press conference following the Antalya Diplomatic Forum.
“We confirm once again, more than a dozen times, probably, this question was asked, that Russia has never refused negotiations,” Lavrov emphasized.
The minister added that after negotiations in Istanbul in 2022, Russia did not receive any serious proposals from Ukraine regarding the resolution of the conflict.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that Russia is ready for dialogue to resolve the Ukrainian conflict.
He also noted that Russia, even after using military means in Ukraine, tried to end the Ukrainian conflict peacefully.
Sergei Lavrov noted that now the ball is not in Russia’s court regarding negotiations with Ukraine; Zelensky only needs to lift the ban on dialogue with Moscow.