Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that peace talks with Ukraine would continue, while warning that there was a “real” danger of World War III.
Speaking to Russian news agencies, he criticized Kyiv’s approach to the talks, adding: “Good intentions have their limits. But if it is not reciprocity, this does not help in the negotiation process.
But we continue to enter into negotiations with the previously authorized team [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky, and these contacts will continue.”
Lavrov accused former actor Zelensky of “pretending” to negotiate. “He’s a good actor,” he said. But, he added, “If you watch what he says attentively and read carefully, you will find thousands of inconsistencies.”
Given the current tensions, Lavrov said the risk of World War III was “real.”
“The danger is grave, it is real, and you cannot underestimate it,” Lavrov told the Interfax news agency.
On the conflict in Ukraine, he said he was confident that “everything will, of course, end with the signing of an agreement.
“But the parameters of this agreement will be determined by the state of fighting that will erupt at the time when the agreement becomes a reality,” he added.
