Lavrov denies Kyiv Independent reporting on Russian push for Putin-Zelensky phone call
"Don't trust them," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said when asked about the reports.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov firmly refuted reports published by the Kyiv Independent on October 30, asserting that Moscow has no intention of facilitating a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Ukrainian sources cited by the Kyiv Independent privately suspect that Russia is pushing for such a conversation, which they believe would accomplish little while allowing Putin to evade a personal meeting with Zelensky.
One anonymous Ukrainian official told the Kyiv Independent that Russia had previously attempted to arrange such a call. Lavrov, addressing Deutsche Welle journalists at the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Miami, cautioned against trusting these reports. He reiterated that Ukrainian President Zelensky should visit Moscow for a direct bilateral meeting.
When asked about a possible meeting at the upcoming G20 summit in December, Lavrov noted that Ukraine is not a member of the group. Since Zelensky became president, their direct communications have been limited to just two calls and one face-to-face meeting, both in 2019 and 2020. Previous U.S. President Donald Trump's administration (2025) saw Ukraine making multiple attempts to arrange a meeting between the two leaders.
The Kremlin, however, consistently demands that Zelensky travel to Moscow, while Zelensky has called for a neutral location. A senior Ukrainian official, speaking to the Kyiv Independent, questioned whether a phone call could resolve the disputes without U.S. involvement, fearing that Russia's insistence on a call could be a pretext for backing out of talks without making substantial commitments.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
