Lavrov: Russia will be ready to hand Ukraine a draft peace agreement once the prisoner exchange is completed

A Russian minister has accused Ukraine of launching waves of drone attacks over several days on Russian targets that have caused casualties and disrupted air traffic.

12262 views 2 comment(s)
Lavrov, Photo: Reuters
Lavrov, Photo: Reuters
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

Russia will be ready to hand Ukraine a draft document outlining the terms of a long-term peace agreement once a prisoner exchange is completed, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday, Reuters reported.

Lavrov, in statements on his ministry's website, said that Russia is committed to finding a peaceful solution to the war that has lasted for more than three years.

He also accused Ukraine of launching waves of drone attacks over several days on Russian targets that caused casualties and disrupted air traffic.

He suggested that European countries had encouraged Kiev to launch the attacks to undermine peace efforts led by US President Donald Trump.

Russia and Ukraine released 390 prisoners each on Friday and said they would release more in the coming days, an initiative agreed upon in talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials in Turkey last week.

"We remain committed to a peaceful solution. We are always open to talks...and let me emphasize that we are committed to the agreements that were recently reached in Istanbul. We are actively working on the second part of the agreement, which requires both sides to prepare a draft document setting out the conditions for reaching a reliable, long-term agreement. As soon as the exchange of prisoners of war is completed, we will be ready to hand over to the Ukrainian side a draft of such a document that the Russian side is now finalizing," Lavrov said.

He said the increase in Ukrainian drone attacks - around 800 directed at Russian targets in the last three days - was a "direct consequence" of support for Ukraine from European Union (EU) countries whose leaders have visited Kiev in recent days.

"We are certain that they will be held accountable for their share of responsibility for these crimes," Lavrov said, referring to European countries.

"This is a clear attempt to disrupt the peace talks and undermine the progress achieved in Istanbul following the agreement between the presidents of Russia and the United States... We will continue this work regardless of provocations," he said.

Lavrov's ministry had previously promised to respond to the attacks.

Ukraine has offered little comment on the drone strikes, although it acknowledged hitting a battery factory in the central Russian region of Lipetsk on Friday.

Ukraine has also accused Russia of periodic mass drone attacks.

One such attack on Sunday, described as the largest in the three-year war, destroyed homes and killed one woman.

Authorities in the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa have accused Russia of shelling port infrastructure on Friday, killing two people.

See more: