Lavrov Calls Idea of US Aid to Ukraine Under Lend-Lease 'Businessman's Approach'
© AP Photo / Vadim Ghirda
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VIENTIANE (Sputnik) - The idea of providing Kiev with US aid on lend-lease terms in order to receive money from the future Kiev authorities is a businessman's approach, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Saturday.
Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and David J. Urban, a ex-advisor to Donald Trump's campaigns in 2016 and 2020, recently said in an article for The Wall Street Journal that the Republican presidential nominee may develop a lend-lease program for Ukraine in the amount of $500 billion in case of victory in the election.
"I heard about Trump, what he suggested, instead of giving Ukraine money for nothing, to allocate $500 billion on lend-lease terms, so that for decades to come he would receive money from those who would change each other in the power structures in Kiev. This is a businessman's approach," Lavrov said at a press conference following the Russia-ASEAN meeting and the ministerial meeting of the East Asia Summit in Laos.
26 July 2024, 09:58 GMT
The minister noted that Russia is ready to discuss serious proposals that meet the current situation.
"I cannot comment on numerous ideas that are not serious. When something serious is proposed, of course, as the [Russian] President [Vladimir Putin] said, we are always ready for an honest conversation, taking into account the realities that have developed now," Lavrov added.
Moscow has continuously said it is open to peace negotiations as long as Kiev recognizes the territorial gains Russian forces have made since the launch of the military operation.
