Kallas: Russia Not Ready for Peace Talks on Ukraine

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said after a meeting of G20 foreign ministers in the United States that Russia has not shown readiness for peace talks over the war in Ukraine. The G20 is a forum of the world's largest economies. Kallas also accused Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of spreading false information, according to the AFP news agency and The Guardian.

On Friday, 30 October, Kallas told AFP that the meeting covered the biggest geopolitical crises, including Ukraine, and that European representatives had a chance to confront Lavrov directly. She said Lavrov made many false claims and misleading statements at the meeting, which the Europeans tried to rebut.

According to Kallas, Russia's actions do not point to a desire for peace, even though Moscow claims otherwise. She stressed that July, August and September were especially hard months for Ukrainian civilians, and added that Russia should demonstrate through actions that it is ready for talks.

Call for a ceasefire

European representatives at the meeting urged Russia to agree to a truce, beginning with a halt to hostilities in the Black Sea, an important export route for agricultural products. Lavrov did not change his position. At a press conference he described the attitude of European delegates as an "arrogant boycott", while welcoming the readiness of US President Donald Trump's administration to maintain dialogue with Moscow.

Several European countries declined to take part in the traditional joint photo of ministers with Lavrov, so it was cancelled.

The US role

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefly spoke with Lavrov during the meeting, which the Russian minister later described as polite. Washington continues diplomatic efforts to reach an agreement to end the war, and new talks between US, Ukrainian and Russian representatives are expected in November.

Opening the gathering, Rubio urged countries to cooperate on economic and geopolitical crises, with particular attention to energy and food supply security. Owing to substantial disagreements, no joint statement from the member states is expected at the end of the meeting.