OREANDA-NEWS  Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov questioned whether the Ukrainian authorities are ready for a peaceful settlement of the conflict.

According to him, Vladimir Zelensky "impolitely commented" on the statements of former US President Donald Trump, who said that if he won the elections in 2024, he would stop the conflict.

Earlier, the Russian Foreign Minister said that Moscow is ready for negotiations with Ukraine, but not about maintaining the current government in Kiev. He added that Russia has never refused to resolve the conflict through negotiations.

On February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a special operation in Donbas. Thus, according to him, Moscow responded to requests for military assistance from the heads of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics.