End of Ukraine conflict? Russian foreign minister says Moscow open to compromise in talks

In a move aiming to end the two-and-a-half-year Ukraine war, Russia on Friday said it is ready to reach a ‘compromise’ with Kyiv, but only if its core interests are protected. The remark was made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who also noted that Moscow and Kyiv had failed to achieve a breakthrough during the direct talks held in Turkey’s Istanbul in May.

“Russian President Vladimir Putin repeatedly said that, at the end of the day, a sustainable agreement is a compromise,” Lavrov said in an interview with Channel One. “We are ready to pursue one on the condition that our legitimate security interests, as well as the legitimate interests of Russians living in Ukraine, are respected in the same way as those of other parties.”

Russia-Ukraine war and Alaska Summit

The war between Russia and Ukraine broke out in February 2022 after President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of the neighbouring nation. Russia’s actions were severely criticised by the West, particularly the United States (US), which also imposed severe actions on Moscow.

However, on August 15 this year, US President Donald Trump and Putin held a summit in Alaska, aiming to end the Ukraine war. The two leaders later hailed the summit, and Putin even invited Trump to Moscow for the next round of talks. Despite this, the two sides have failed to end hostilities in Ukraine, though.

Notably, both Putin and Trump had slammed ex-US President Joe Biden for the beginning of the Ukraine war.

Trump’s admission on Ukraine war

With both sides blaming each other for the continuation of the conflict, Trump on Thursday said Putin has let him down, while admitting he thought that solving the Ukraine war would be ‘easy’ for him. He made the remark while speaking at a joint press conference in London with United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Trump also warned of more sanctions on Russia if Moscow continues the war in Ukraine. He has also urged his European allies to impose more sanctions on Russia and those supporting Moscow via trade.