Lavrov Calls Out Europe’s Peacekeeper Plan for Ukraine As Ploy to Rearm Kiev

"No, we cannot consider any such options," Lavrov told reporters after talks in Doha.

The approach being imposed by the Europeans, namely France and the UK, is aimed at further fueling the conflict and "pumping Kiev with weapons again", Russia's diplomacy chief added.

US President Donald Trump stated that he believes the presence of peacekeeping forces in Ukraine is necessary in one form or another, but the format of this mission must be acceptable to all parties.

Russia is not blocking negotiations on Ukraine, Lavrov said, emphasizing that the best way to resolve the conflict is to understand its root causes.

"We are waiting for our European colleagues to stop spreading lies that Russia is blocking the negotiations. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly responded to these false claims, pointing out that the Ukrainian leadership, instigated by Europe, refuses to negotiate," Lavrov told reporters after his visit to Qatar.

Lavrov noted that European politicians assert the conflict in Ukraine should be resolved through military means rather than through negotiations.

"We believe that the best help from those who sincerely want to help resolve the conflict is to understand its root causes, as [US] President Trump did recently," Lavrov added.

An upcoming Russian-US meeting that will focus on normalizing the operation of embassies will be held on February 27 in Istanbul, Lavrov said.

"We announced that our high-level diplomats and experts, will meet and consider the systemic problems that have accumulated as a result of the previous administration's illicit activities to create artificial obstacles to the functions of the Russian embassy, to which we naturally reciprocated and also created uncomfortable conditions for the work of the US Embassy in Moscow. Such a meeting will take place tomorrow in Istanbul," Lavrov told reporters.

Based on the outcome of the talks, it will be clear how fast and efficiently both countries can move, the top diplomat added.

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Qatari Prime Minister Says Israel Must Leave Buffer Zone With Syria

17 January, 06:14 GMT

Israel's presence in the south of Lebanon and the south of Syria requires constructive solutions which will not violate security of any party, Lavrov said.

"At present, the Israeli armed forces have entered the south of Syria, just as they decided to stay in the south of Lebanon. All this creates a new situation, which demands not simply understanding, but working out some kind of constructive steps, which take into account the security and development interests of all the countries of the region, including, of course, Israel. But these security problems must not be solved by violating the security and development of other [countries]," Russia's diplomacy chief said at a press conference.

Lavrov also said that Russia is deeply concerned about the fact that day by day the Israeli armed forces take steps that are not envisaged in the Hamas-Israel deals and create situations which contradict the agreements and the resolutions of the UN Security Council.