Ukraine War: Lavrov demands follow-up arrangement before a ceasefire in Ukraine

Russische and ukrainische Vertreter planen, in Abu Dhabi mit den von den USA vermittelten Gesprächen zu beginnen. Dies sind die ersten direkten Verhandlungen seit Februar. EU, deutsche und französische Vertreter werden ebenfalls zu den Gesprächen geschickt. Russland hat jedoch erklärt, dass es keine europäischen Vertreter an den Verhandlungen akzeptiert.

Ukraine's delegation plans to inform its European allies separately about the course of the talks. Rustem Umjerow, the head of the Ukrainian delegation, stated this on Monday. The Russian delegation includes Kremlin adviser Vladimir Medinski and Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Jabkov. The agreement with the US on diesel deliveries is already showing its effect and lowering prices, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in an article for the Moscow daily Kommersant.

US President Donald Trump announced the agreement on October 9th. It stipulates that Russia will initially deliver 300,000 tons of diesel to the US and global markets to lower fuel prices before the US midterm elections. The US government temporarily lifted its sanctions against Russian fuel for this purpose. Lawrow further notes that Ukraine ignores Trump's calls to cease attacks on Russian energy facilities.

Russian media, however, reported renewed fuel shortages in at least half a dozen Russian regions, due to Ukrainian attacks on at least eight major oil refineries in the past two weeks.

Lavrov also calls for a solution in the EU budget for the years 2028-2034, supported by all member states, to provide a stable financing for Ukraine affected by Russian attacks. The EU aims to reach an agreement on the entire financial framework by the end of the year.