Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday that upcoming US-mediated trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi will discuss principles to be approved at the conclusion of negotiations for a settlement to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
"There is a shared understanding that the negotiations are focused on agreeing upon the principles that will be endorsed at the conclusion of talks on a comprehensive settlement," Larov said at a joint press conference in Moscow following bilateral talks with his Peruvian counterpart Carlos Espa.
Lavrov said that the inclusion of Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, alongside his counterpart Mikhail Galuzin, in Moscow's delegation at the negotiations is "entirely natural," given his focus on North Atlantic affairs and arms control issues, among other details.
Expressing that he has heard US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's remarks about the upcoming negotiations, Lavrov said the agenda for the talks places security issues concerning Russia, Ukraine, and Europe as a whole as the first item.
"We certainly welcome such an approach," Lavrov said, noting the topic of Ukraine was touched upon during his negotiations with his Peruvian counterpart.
Russian, Ukrainian, and US representatives are scheduled to convene in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi for a renewed round of trilateral peace negotiations, starting on Tuesday.
Russia and Ukraine last held US-mediated peace talks earlier this year, with three rounds taking place on Jan. 23-24, Feb. 4-5, and Feb. 17-18. The first two were held in Abu Dhabi, while the third took place in Geneva.
On Sunday, Rubio told reporters before departing for Paris to attend a G7 foreign ministers' meeting that the topic of post-war security guarantees for Ukraine and Europe has been one of the key issues repeatedly raised during negotiations, expressing hope that "some progress can be made" in Abu Dhabi on this matter.
Speaking about his talks with Espa, Lavrov further said the Russian side informed the Peruvian top diplomat about Moscow's assessments of the latest developments in Ukraine, as well as those in the front line.
He went on to state that Russia and Peru have agreed to intensify work of their intergovernmental commissions on cooperation in scientific, technical, and economic spheres, as well as on the prevention and management of natural disasters and emergencies.
"Today, we agreed to develop new mechanisms, including those for relations between our banking institutions," he also said, adding that, on the Russian side, "economic operators have a strong interest in working with Peruvian partners to advance mutually beneficial investment projects."
