MOSCOW. June 28 (Interfax) - Russia has asked that representatives of developing countries, which attended the meeting on Ukraine in Copenhagen, inform it about its content, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
"They [representatives of the West] repeat every time this subject comes up that there is only one basis for talks, it is [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky's formula, ten provisions. They have been recently trying to entice by every means the leading developing countries, the countries of the global South, into supporting this formula. So, they held a meeting in Copenhagen in secret, but information about it was leaked," Lavrov said in an interview on the Bolshaya Igra television program on Russia's Channel One.
"We have now asked our colleagues who had their representatives there to tell us what the West wanted to do together with the Ukrainians by inviting the leading countries of the world's majority there," he said.
"They also pressed an invitation to Copenhagen on several 'third world countries' and tried to influence them to support the Zelensky formula," he said.
"I have heard that such dirty tricks were already used there, when in response to sober objections related to the unrealistic nature of the Zelensky plan, which means surrender, they were told, then you don't have to support the whole plan, we have other provisions, let's see, which deal with food security in the world, energy security, nuclear security. So, who don't you, the countries of Asia, Africa, Latin America pick one of the provisions each," the Russian foreign minister said.
"It is a Jesuitical and completely unscrupulous approach," he said.
Answering a question on whether "there are chances for Russia's more flexible stance" in the context of a settlement in Ukraine, Lavrov said, "It depends on what flexibility they mean, if it is about the subject of surrender as the condition of the conclusion of peace 'according to Zelensky', any flexibility is out of the question."
At the same time, the minister highlighted that "if they [the United States and the West] mean something else, if they - as some comments were made both in Germany and France now - associate some hopes with various peace missions, [...] we have repeatedly said in this context that we have never refused negotiations, the [Russian] president said so as early as one year ago."
"But those who refuse negotiations, namely the entire West and Ukraine, must understand that the longer they are dragging their feet about the peaceful settlement, the harder it would be to reach agreements. And we have always emphasized so far, we have never changed our stance that we are ready to consider any proposals which are serious," Lavrov said, adding that Moscow has not seen such proposals yet.
"No one, I'm referring to the West, has made any serious proposals," he said.
Germany's ARD television channel said earlier that a meeting on Ukraine involving diplomats from Western countries, as well as Brazil, India, China, and South Africa, took place in secret in Copenhagen on June 24. According to the TV channel, talks on the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine could take place in July, but the parties to such talks and their location have not been specified.