ISTANBUL
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday accused EU leaders criticizing China and India's contacts with Moscow of being “rude” and “ill-mannered” during a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart.
“Those current so-called leaders in the EU who publicly state why China communicates with Russia or why India communicates with Russia—these are rude, ill-mannered people,” Lavrov said during a joint press conference with Badr Abdelatty following bilateral talks in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.
Advising Europe “not to interfere” in the dialogue between Russia and the US concerning Ukraine, Lavrov said Moscow’s position on a Ukraine settlement is not subject to any “opportunistic considerations or fluctuations.”
He said the dialogue between Moscow and Washington is based on a “solid understanding” reached between the two countries during their summit in Alaska in August.
“We see no reason why the US administration would deviate from this agreed-upon position. Especially since these understandings are directly based on the proposals of (US President) Donald Trump and his negotiating team,” he further said.
He also argued that many representatives of the “global majority” welcome and express hope that efforts between Russia and the US with regard to Ukraine will yield results allowing for a resolution of the conflict.
"In this work with the Americans, we feel the support of the global majority," he went on to say, adding that Moscow appreciates that the agreements reached in Alaska "remain in force."
Lavrov arrived in Cairo late Thursday, where he will participate in the second ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum on Dec. 19-20. While in the Egyptian capital, he also held bilateral talks with a number of his African counterparts.
The top Russian diplomat's remarks come a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that a new round of talks with the American side will take place in the US on Friday and Saturday, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said Moscow is preparing "relevant contacts" with Washington regarding a revised peace plan that has been discussed for the past two weeks.
Discussions were based initially on a draft 28-point proposal, which reportedly required Ukraine to make significant concessions, including recognizing Russian control over its territories, limiting its military personnel, and agreeing not to join NATO.
Putin 'open to contacts' with Macron
During the press conference, Lavrov also stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to speak with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron.
The foreign minister's remark comes as the French president said at a press briefing after an EU summit in Brussels that he thinks "it will become useful again to talk to" his Russian counterpart.
"I think that we, Europeans and Ukrainians, have a vested interest in finding a framework to properly re-engage in this discussion. Otherwise, we'll be talking amongst ourselves with negotiators who will then deal with the Russians alone. That's not ideal," Lavrov said.
"If he (Macron) is ready to talk, then our president has repeatedly emphasized that he is always open to contact, but with the understanding that these will be polite people with some basic decency," he added.
Commenting on his talks with Abdelatty, the Russian foreign minister said that they discussed various bilateral issues, including the expansion of direct flights, creating sustainable food and fuel supply chains, and the current situation in Sudan and Libya.
For his part, the Egyptian foreign minister said Cairo and Moscow consider it important to accelerate the implementation of joint projects, especially the El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant, as well as the implementation of the industrial zone project in the Suez Canal region.
Abdelatty said that relations between Egypt and Russia have been actively developing at all levels in recent years and that these ties have "outgrown the traditional diplomatic concept."
"Regarding the Ukrainian crisis ... Egypt is ready to continue to contribute to any international efforts to bring the parties' positions closer together and support the political path to achieving peace," he added.