Moscow is "still" ready for negotiations with Washington; the Russian Federation's decision to recognize the independence of the occupied regions of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine as independent states "does not affect its readiness for dialogue. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said this on the air of the Rossiya 24 TV channel.
"We even in the most difficult moments said that we were ready for the negotiation process. Therefore, our position remains the same from our side. We are ready for negotiating progress," Zakharova said when asked whether this affects plans for a meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
She added that Russia's decision to recognize the sovereignty of the Russian-occupied regions of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine "has no emotions, but the West is obviously devoid of any empathy and understanding of the essence of the issue. According to her, Russia proceeds from the fact that the Minsk agreements were no longer relevant for Kiev.
