"He is clinging to every moment to avoid negotiations with me. And this is the story - in principle he does not want any dialogue," he said, adding that direct talks between Russia and Ukraine would be a loss for the Kremlin.
"Negotiations" is not an ultimatum... It means that they have not fulfilled their task, which was set by Putin, so it's really not a victory for them."
On Dec. 29, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow would not participate in the Peace Summit “in any format”.
“I have explained many times that we are not going to participate in the 'peace summit' even if we receive an invitation,” he said, claiming that Kyiv would use this invitation “only to give Moscow an ultimatum.”
Lavrov reiterated Moscow’s demand for Ukraine to renounce its sovereignty and territorial integrity as a precondition for peace talks, signaling Russia’s disinterest in genuine negotiations,