Ukraine FM expresses readiness to hold peace negotiations with Russian counterpart Lavrov

In a landmark development, Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba on Thursday stated that he is willing to meet his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. Addressing a press conference after attending a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels on April 7, Kuleba stated that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has justified the bombing of a hospital in Mariupol and war crimes committed by armed forces of Moscow in Bucha and other towns and villages of Ukraine, Pravda reported citing Interfax. Kuleba said that Lavrov is an official in Russia and he is ready to hold talks with him for "peace in Ukraine." Notably, the statement of the Ukrainian Foreign Minister comes as the Russian military offensive against Russia continues for day 43. 

According to the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Lavrov's every statement is aimed to disrupt the negotiations between the two nations. Kuleba emphasised that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's justification for bombing a hospital and other Russian crimes makes him part of the atrocities committed by Kremlin's troops, as per the Pravda news report. Kuleba, however, added that he is willing to hold negotiations with anyone seeking to end the ongoing conflict in his country. Furthermore, Dmytro Kuleba believes that seeing the preparations of the Russian side, the battle of Donbass will not be a "local operation," The Kyiv Independent reported. He expects large-scale operations which will include thousands of tanks, armoured vehicles and aircraft. 

Ukrainian Foreign Minister calls for providing more weapons 

It is pertinent to mention here that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels earlier in the day. In his tweet, he stated that he has come to Brussels to discuss military assistance, Ukraine's urgent requirements and the sustainability of supplies. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, on Thursday, 7 April, asked NATO to supply more weapons as Russian troops intensified their attacks on key sites. Addressing media alongside NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Belgium, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister said "My agenda is very simple. It has only three items on it. It's weapons, weapons, and weapons."

Kuleba also noted that massacres like in Bucha won't repeat provided NATO sends more military equipment to Ukraine. Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he is certain that in talks between foreign ministers from NATO, Ukraine's need for more military equipment like air defence systems, and anti-tank weapons will be addressed. 

"We know how to win but without sustainable and sufficient supplies of all weapons requested by Ukraine, these wins will be accompanied with enormous sacrifices,” Dmytro Kuleba said in the press briefing. 

"The more weapons we get, and the sooner they arrive in Ukraine, the more human lives will be saved," he added.

Image: AP