Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov responded to a question about organizing a meeting between Putin and Trump

There are currently no bilateral contacts with the U.S. regarding the organization of a meeting between Russian leader Vladimir Putin and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in a statement published on journalist Pavel Zarubin’s Telegram channel.

“At the moment, there are no contacts dedicated to preparing such a meeting in a bilateral format. If they decide to initiate it and are ready to propose it, the ball is in their court. It wasn’t us who broke off our regular connections and consultations,” noted the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Lavrov also recalled Putin’s words that Russia is ready for negotiations if Western countries put forward concrete proposals for resolving the conflict in Ukraine. Furthermore, the minister emphasized that this dialogue would require waiting for Trump’s inauguration and his assumption of the presidency on January 20.

Earlier, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, stated that the U.S. is not concerned about disruptions in aid to Ukraine, as it is focused solely on its own interests. Specifically, the diplomat referenced a statement by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who noted that aid to Ukraine allowed the U.S. to invest $70 billion in its military-industrial complex.