Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that Russia wants to understand what motivated US President Donald Trump's statement that Russia must agree to a peace deal in Ukraine within a 50-day deadline.
Lavrov, speaking at a press conference at the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Foreign Ministers meeting in the Chinese city of Tianjin on Tuesday, said he had no doubt that Russia would cope with any new sanctions.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, on the other hand, said on Tuesday that Moscow views diplomacy as the preferred path to resolve the Ukraine conflict and remains open to negotiations.
Commenting on US President Donald Trump's recent remarks in an interview with the Russian state news agency TASS, Ryabkov emphasised that Russia rejects ultimatums.
"Naturally, we note first and foremost that any attempts to issue demands, especially ultimatums, are unacceptable to us," the diplomat said.
‘This position is unshakable’
He called for intensified political and diplomatic efforts, reiterating President Vladimir Putin’s stance that Russia is prepared for talks and favours a diplomatic resolution.
However, Ryabkov warned that without progress in negotiations, Moscow "will continue pursuing its objectives through the special military operation" if its willingness to engage diplomatically goes unanswered.
"This position is unshakable. We would like Washington and NATO in general to treat it with the utmost seriousness," he stressed.
Ryabkov noted that Trump’s latest statements "generally fit into the pattern that we have been seeing from the American side lately."
On Monday, Trump announced continued US weapons transfers to Kiev conditioned on European funding, with NATO coordinating the process.
He also threatened 100 percent import tariffs on Russia and its trade partners in the absence of a Ukraine settlement within 50 days.
