{
  "id": 17380304,
  "title": "Lavrov denies Kyiv Independent reporting on Russian push for Putin-Zelensky phone call",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/lavrov-denies-kyiv-independent-reporting-on-russian-push-for-putin",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-31T09:23:59.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Kyiv Independent",
    "slug": "kyiv-independent",
    "url": "https://kyivindependent.com/lavrov-denies-kyiv-independent-reporting-on-russian-push-for-putin-zelensky-phone-call/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": "\"Don't trust them,\" Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said when asked about the reports.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}