Moscow: Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow will not be turning down a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden at the 2022 G20 Bali Summit taking place on November 15-16.
He said on state television that Moscow is open to talks with the West on the Ukraine war but hasn't yet received any "serious offers" to negotiate. Lavrov added that the US claim about Russia refusing discussions is a lie. "US officials including the White House's national security spokesperson, John Kirby, had said the US was willing to engage in discussions but Russia had refused. This is a lie. We have not received any serious offers to make contact."
The Russian official said his government has "repeatedly said that we never refuse meetings." He added that Moscow is willing to listen to any suggestions but could not in advance say whether they will lead to any results. He also claimed that the US has been long involved in the war in Ukraine which is "being controlled by the Anglo-Saxons."
When asked about Turkey holding peace talks between Russia and the West, Lavrov said Turkey's President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, would have the opportunity to put forward proposals to Putin when both visit Kazakhstan on Thursday. Russian diplomat and Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Monday confirmed that the meeting will take place in Astana, Kazakhstan. "It is possible the two leaders would discuss a Turkish proposal to host talks between Russia and the west on peace in Ukraine. They will be meeting on the sidelines of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) summit.