Moscow’s top diplomat says Russia is “ready to reach a deal” over ending the war in Ukraine hours after launching a devastating attack on Kyiv. At least 12 were killed and more than 80 wounded in the Ukrainian capital after it was bombarded by Russia overnight on Thursday, sparking an angry reaction from US President Donald Trump.
But despite Russia’s continued attacks on Ukraine, the country’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed Moscow is prepared to stop the fighting. In an interview with CBS’ ‘Face the Nation, the key Putin ally said: “The president of the United States believes, and I think rightly so, that we are moving in the right direction. The statement by the president mentions a deal and we are ready to reach a deal.”
A day before Russia’s devastating attacks on Kyiv, Mr Trump claimed a deal to end the war was “very close”.
He accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s refusal to recognise the annexed region of Crimea as Russian “will do nothing but prolong” the fighting.
Mr Lavrov declined to say what was being discussed in the US-brokered peace negotiations or whether any deal was close.
He said negotiations are “not supposed to be public”, adding: “The negotiations continue, and until the end of the negotiations, we cannot disclose what it is about.”
In the interview with the CBS programme, which is set to be shown in full on Sunday, Mr Lavrov said some issues still need to be ironed out but failed to elaborate further.
“There are still some specific points, elements of this which need to be fine-tuned,” he said.
Friday has been declared a day of mourning in Kyiv after Russia’s deadliest assault on the Ukrainian capital since July.
Ukraine’s defence ministry said several other regions were targeted by drones and missiles in the “massive” attack.
The US President said he was “not happy” with the Russian strikes on Kyiv.
“Not necessary, and very bad timing,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!”
Mr Trump has denied he is only putting pressure on Kyiv to sign a peace agreement.
In an interview with Time magazine published on Friday, he blamed Ukraine for starting the war.
“I think what caused the war to start was when they started talking about joining NATO,” the President said.
