Russia says Moscow’s vital interests ignored, accuses West of ‘playing for time’; Ukraine claims to have shot down 15 Iranian-made UAVs

On August 19, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the West is not interested in negotiating with Moscow on the Ukraine issue.

Nga khẳng định luôn sẵn sàng đối thoại thực chất về vấn đề Ukraine, cáo buộc phương Tây ‘câu giờ’, Kiev nói bắn hạ 15 UAV do Iran sản xuất

Ukrainian special forces soldiers wearing “spider boots”, a protective system designed to reduce injuries from stepping on landmines, during a training session in the Donetsk region on August 2, as the conflict between the country and Russia continues. (Source: Reuters)

In an interview with the International Affairs magazine, Mr. Lavrov noted that the West held multilateral meetings on Ukraine in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) and Copenhagen (Denmark) without inviting Russia.

Saying that the West hoped to persuade developing countries to back the Ukrainian president's peace plan, Russia's top diplomat added that Moscow's vital interests were being ignored.

Foreign Minister Lavrov stressed that Moscow is always ready for substantive dialogue and has been trying for many years to make Kiev implement the Minsk agreements to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Russia responded to Ukraine's proposal to start negotiations in the first days of the special military operation, but the talks were postponed by Kiev under Western pressure in 2022. Later that year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree banning any negotiations with the Russian leadership.

Russia's top diplomat said Moscow viewed the West's call for talks as a way to "buy time" and give the Ukrainian army a break.

The West and Kiev have not yet commented on the above information.

Regarding the conflict situation, on the same day, August 19, the Ukrainian Air Force said that Russia deployed 17 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) overnight to attack areas in the North, Central and West of the Eastern European country.

Ukraine claims to have shot down 15 Iranian-made Shahed UAVs launched by Russia. It is unclear what targets and areas the Russian forces targeted in the airstrikes.

In another development, also on August 19, a Russian official announced that the country's military units had prevented six Ukrainian attacks in the direction of Krasnyi Lyman.

Source