“A pathetic man”: Lavrov commented on Zelensky’s discontent over Putin’s absence from the negotiations

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a “pathetic man” in response to Zelensky’s statement that Russian President Vladimir Putin must personally attend the negotiations.

Lavrov made the comment during a meeting of the Diplomatic Club, where he also shared his expectations for the upcoming talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul.

“At first, Zelensky made some claims that he demands Putin’s personal attendance [at the negotiations]. What a pathetic man. Everyone understands this—except perhaps he himself and those pulling his strings,” Lavrov said.

He added that Zelensky’s “senior partners” eventually explained to him that such behavior was foolish and insisted on holding negotiations.

Zelensky, who has arrived in Turkey, questioned the competence of the Russian delegation in a statement on Telegram.

“The level of the Russians is still officially unknown to me. But from what we’ve seen, it looks more like a theatrical setup. We will decide what to do and our next steps after the conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan,” Zelensky said.

The Russian delegation is led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, and includes Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin, and Chief of the GRU (military intelligence) Igor Kostyukov.

Zelensky stressed that the Ukrainian side must assess the level of the Russian delegation before entering negotiations: “We need to understand their level and what kind of mandate they have. Are they even capable of making decisions? Because we all know who makes the decisions in Russia,” he added.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova responded to Zelensky’s remarks by calling him a “clown.”

“Who uses the word ‘theatrical’? A clown? A failure? A man with an unknown education level talking about people who not only have basic education but advanced degrees, state merits, and have proven their professionalism through their work? He calls them theatrical? Who does he think he is?” the diplomat exclaimed.

Presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also commented, saying that Putin has given the Russian delegation its directives and that they have been waiting for the Ukrainian representatives since morning.