Lavrov Rejects Strike Plans, US Clears 500 Patriots

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters on Friday that Moscow's position on the war in Ukraine remains fixed and that comments from President Volodymyr Zelenskiy about continuing strikes inside Russia hinder preparations for a new round of talks. Speaking at a G20 meeting in Atlanta, Lavrov said the United States and Russia still face unresolved issues because sanctions on Moscow stay in place and arms shipments to Kyiv continue.

"This kind of attitude doesn't really help much in preparing for negotiations," Lavrov said.

The State Department announced on Friday that it had approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine. Lavrov said cooperation between Washington and Kyiv on intelligence sharing has grown while arms supplies continue.

Lavrov's remarks followed a period in which both Moscow and Kyiv signaled willingness to resume three-sided talks with Washington, the first such session since early this year. Zelenskiy said this week he hoped a meeting with peace negotiators would convene in Abu Dhabi between Nov. 6 and Nov. 10, and he said Ukraine also wants Europe at the table.

Lavrov said Russia's stance "was unchanged from the very start of the special military operation," the phrase Moscow uses for its campaign in Ukraine. He said Russia cannot accept Ukraine positioned as a "military threat to the lawful security interests of the Russian Federation."

"Our position is known, but what Ukraine intends to bring to the negotiating table, I don't know," Lavrov said, quoted by Russian news agencies.

On relations with Washington, Lavrov said: "Fundamental issues are not being resolved. Sanctions remain, all the sanctions from (former President Joe) Biden are echoed by the current administration." He also said U.S. intelligence-sharing with Ukraine had expanded.

Foreign ministers at the G20 in Atlanta skipped the traditional group photo, with some saying they objected to appearing alongside Lavrov.