Lavrov explained the essence of a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine

A diplomatic settlement of the conflict in Ukraine must resolve it completely, and not just lead to a ceasefire, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with Newsweek magazine.

“Russia is open to a political and diplomatic settlement that should eliminate the root causes of the crisis,” the minister said.

He noted that Kiev does not seek to restore peace with Moscow. This is indicated by the fact that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has not yet repealed the decree banning negotiations with the Russian side.

According to Lavrov, the continuation of the conflict is encouraged by the United States and NATO countries, which provide Kiev with "political, military and financial support." In particular, this concerns discussions of permission for the Ukrainian Armed Forces to strike deep into RUSSIA with Western weapons. The minister called such actions "playing with fire" and emphasized that this threatens "dangerous consequences."

Ukraine is already striking deep into Russia with Western weapons, Kirill Budanov, HEAD of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine, admitted in early summer. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in May that American weapons are already being used for strikes outside the combat zone. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukraine's strikes with Western weapons on Russian territory are "close to aggression."

During the invasion of the Kursk region, the Ukrainian military used British Challenger 2 tanks, Sky News reported. The use of Western weapons in the Kursk border area was also discussed by the Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN Dmitry Polyansky. The Russian Defense Ministry has repeatedly reported attempts to attack Crimea with British Storm Shadow missiles. Strikes were carried out on Belgorod using the Czech-made RM-70 Vampire multiple launch rocket system.

In the fall of 2022, Ukraine approved a decision to refuse negotiations with Moscow as long as Vladimir Putin remains president of Russia . After that, the Kremlin announced that Moscow now has two options: either wait for Zelensky to change his position, or wait for a change in the Ukrainian president. “To negotiate, two sides are needed,” said then the press secretary of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov .