Moscow hopes Kiev won’t listen to “advisers” from afar: Russian FM

Moscow, Russia | Xinhua | Moscow hopes Kiev will follow its national interests at Russia-Ukraine peace talks, but not listen to “advisers” from afar, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday.

“It is not the talks that influence the course of the operation, but external ‘players’ who are trying to hinder these negotiations and keep the clashes ‘on the ground’ going on for as long as possible,” he told a press conference following talks with Arab League (AL) representatives on Ukraine, according to a statement published by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

“We know who gives such ‘advice’ to our Ukrainian neighbors. This is done with useless goals that have nothing to do with the interests of the Ukrainian people, the security of Ukraine, the security in the region of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and in our European region,” he added.

“I hope that those who lead the delegation of Kiev at the said talks will start to be guided by their own national interests, the interests of their people but not listen to ‘advisers’ from afar, who sometimes only want to see how the crisis situation will continue to build up,” Lavrov said.

He added that Russia will debunk fakes related to the special operation in Ukraine.

The minister also expressed the readiness to cooperate and continue to inform colleagues in the AL about the development of the situation, according to the statement.

The Arab Ministerial delegation, headed by Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, secretary-general of the AL, visited Russia to seek a diplomatic solution for the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The group, including representatives from Egypt, Jordan, Algeria, Iraq, Sudan, and the United Arab Emirates, will travel to Warsaw on Tuesday for another meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

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Xinhua