Serious matters are never discussed in public before negotiations are finalized, the Russian foreign minister says

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has criticized Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky for disclosing information that he believes should remain confidential until negotiations are finalized. Lavrov emphasized that Russia does not intend to publicly reveal the progress of talks with the US on a Ukraine settlement until the process is completed.

Lavrov made the remarks in an interview with CBS News on Thursday, responding to a request for details about Washington's proposal to end the conflict.

"We are really polite people. And unlike some others, we never discuss in public what is being discussed in negotiations. Otherwise, negotiations are not serious," Lavrov said.

"If you want to ask for somebody's opinion regarding the substance [of the proposed peace deal], go to Zelensky. He is happy to talk to anybody through media, even to President Trump," he added.

Lavrov reaffirmed Moscow's openness to an agreement but stressed that it would only consider and discuss "serious proposals," insisting the process "is not supposed to be public." When asked whether a deal was imminent, he said, "the negotiations continue," and emphasized that "until the end of the negotiations, we cannot disclose what it is all about."

"The president of the United States believes, and I think rightly so, that we are moving in the right direction," Lavrov stated. "The statement by the president mentions a deal, and we are ready to reach a deal. But there are still some specific points, elements of this deal which need to be fine-tuned, and we are busy with this exact process."

Later on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and US special envoy Steve Witkoff met for talks on resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. Trump later declared the three-hour meeting a success, saying the two sides were "very close to a deal" despite clear differences.

The agreement proposed by Washington reportedly includes US recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea, a freezing of the conflict along the current front line, and unofficial acknowledgment of Moscow's control over four former Ukrainian regions that voted to join Russia, as well as formal opposition to Kiev's NATO bid.

However, Zelensky on Friday reiterated that Kiev would not even discuss formally recognizing Crimea as Russian. He said his "vision" for a resolution includes more "sanctions, economic and diplomatic pressure" on Moscow, even though Washington's framework reportedly calls for a phased removal of sanctions.

Trump earlier blamed Zelensky's "inflammatory" public statements for damaging the negotiation process and warned that Kiev risks losing the entire country if it continues to stall talks with Moscow.

(RT.com)