Lavrov: China may organize a peace conference in which Russia and Ukraine participate

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that China could organize a peace conference involving Russia and Ukraine.

Lavrov said such a move would complement Beijing’s ongoing efforts to resolve the Ukraine crisis.

“We agree with China’s position that the root causes of the conflict should be addressed in the first place and the legal interests of all parties should be protected, with subsequent agreements based on the principle of ensuring equal and indivisible security,” Lavrov said in an interview with the IAEA.

“Let me stress once again that this entails taking into account the realities on the ground, which reflect the will of those who live there,” he said.

Russia has repeatedly called for talks on the precondition that Kiev and the West recognize the territorial gains it has made in Ukraine, which Kiev rejects.

Lavrov criticized the United States for helping Ukraine and said Washington had become “an accomplice in the crimes of the Kiev regime”.

He said Russia viewed planning to supply Ukraine with nuclear-capable F-16s as a meaningful move by NATO.

“They are trying to tell us that the United States and NATO will not be stopped by anything in Ukraine”.

“However, we hope that the exercises now underway between Russia and Belarus on the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons will bring our adversaries back to their senses by reminding them of the catastrophic consequences of further nuclear escalation”.

Lavrov said the United States was also working in the Middle East to “fan the flames of conflict”.