“The security of Europe and Asia are inseparably linked,” the minister said. Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking at a meeting of the Valdai Club, announced Moscow’s readiness for peace negotiations on Ukraine, but not on the basis of Kyiv’s “wants”. The President emphasized that the negotiations should be based on the agreements that were reached in Istanbul, but based on today's realities.
The meeting of the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul took place on March 29, 2022. The principles of the future agreement included obligations on the neutral, non-aligned status of Ukraine and its refusal to deploy foreign weapons, including nuclear weapons, on its territory.