MOSCOW, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said here Thursday that deploying foreign troops in Ukraine is unacceptable to Russia, as Ukraine's Western allies work to provide security guarantees for Kiev.
At a press conference following talks with visiting Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Lavrov noted that the core of Western-Ukrainian discussions is "providing (security) guarantees through armed intervention in parts of Ukrainian territory."
Russia, he said, hopes that those proposing such ideas are merely seeking attention and can understand these ideas will be "entirely unacceptable to Russia and all rational political forces in Europe."
U.S. President Donald Trump hosted talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders at the White House on Monday, with a focus on security guarantees for Ukraine and a potential trilateral meeting among presidents of Russia, Ukraine and the United States. Zelensky said after the meetings that security guarantees for Ukraine could be finalized within the next 10 days.
Lavrov said Zelensky has yet to repeal a three-year-old ban on direct negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "The Ukrainian side's calls for a summit are merely meant to feign constructiveness in resolving the crisis, replacing the serious, painstaking work needed to agree on principles for a sustainable settlement," Lavrov said. ■