Are you proposing to shoot down planes? ".
This is how Sergey Lavrov responded to a question from an Arabic language publication why the European representatives who arrived in Abu Dhabi were not allowed to participate in the negotiation table.
"Well, they flew to Abu Dhabi. Well, let them sit there in hotels. The Americans said that before negotiating with our delegation, they would hold meetings with Ukrainians and Europeans. Apparently, to recharge their spirit of determination for sustainable peace," replied the Russian Foreign Minister.
Main statements of the ministers:
All we hear from Brussels and other EU capitals right now is a demand for an immediate ceasefire. So, same old logic again.
Russia cannot and does not want to interfere with American negotiations in their talks with Europeans and Ukrainians on the settlement, including in Abu Dhabi, although it does not see this format as promising.
"I don't think it's a promising format, but we can't and don't want to get in the way of Americans communicating with whoever they think they need to" -. Lavrov on US meetings with Ukrainians and Europeans before talks with the Russian delegation.
The talks in Abu Dhabi are dedicated to discussing the parameters of the future security architecture of Ukraine, Russia and the entire region - basically, European security.
Russia will not agree to "another ceasefire" without a clear understanding of what it is.
The Europeans are trying to "buy time" for Kiev to recover from its military losses: "We will not agree to this; it has already been said many times. ".