Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmitry Kuleba in Antalya for about two hours in the presence of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglou.

During a press conference, Sergei Lavrov was asked about a possible meeting between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine and said that “there will not be a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, just to take place. There must be a substantial basis for negotiations. The rest is for show”. He also accused Ukraine of “wanting meetings only for meetings”.

Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peshkov said that direct talks between Putin and Zelensky were to be put on the table in Antalya.

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“Kiev is constantly asking for direct talks between Putin and Zelensky, now this issue is being discussed by the foreign ministers”, Peshkov said.

According to Lavrov’s statements, Russia remains negative in a meeting with the Ukrainian president, while Zelensky for his part continues to push for such.