Overview
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told RIA Novosti he is prepared for a face-to-face with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss the war in Ukraine.
- Lavrov reaffirmed that Russia will not drop its core conditions, including Kyiv renouncing NATO membership and withdrawing from Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
- He said Moscow awaits confirmation that the understandings from the Aug. 15 Anchorage talks between Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump remain the basis for a deal.
- Lavrov referenced reports that Washington canceled a planned Budapest summit after Russia refused to soften its stance, while the Kremlin has rejected speculation that he fell out of favor.
- He warned there is no legal path for Europe to seize roughly €210 billion in frozen Russian sovereign assets and said Russia would retaliate if those funds are taken.