Russian President Vladimir Putin respects United States leader Donald Trump and his dedication to protecting America's national interests, the former country's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told NBC News on Sunday, Azernews reports.
Commenting on the outcome of Putin and Trump's summit, Lavrov stressed that the Russian president is ready to talk with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky about potential solutions to the conflict in Eastern Europe, "provided this meeting is really going to decide something." "To meet, for Zelenskyy to have another opportunity to be onstage, is not what we believe is useful," he said.
Lavrov further criticized Zelensky, claiming that he "said no to everything." "How can we meet with a person who is pretending to be a leader?" he wondered. Moreover, Lavrov accused Ukraine and the European Union of hindering possibilities for peace.
