Lavrov ruled out the possibility of Russian concessions in negotiations with Witkoff

Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, stated that the Russian side is ready to consider proposals from U.S. President Donald Trump’s special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, but categorically rejects the possibility of any political concessions.

According to the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Moscow is considering only economic agreements but does not expect the Trump administration to ease sanctions pressure. 

Lavrov noted that the current U.S. administration’s potential refusal to adopt or implement decisions regarding sanctions is a temporary factor, as U.S. policy could change under the next president. In addition, he emphasized that a potential restoration of relations with Western countries is possible, but they will not return to the state that existed prior to 2022.

Source: Russian media.

Steve Witkoff, Special Representative of U.S. President Donald Trump, is scheduled to travel to St. Petersburg on October 21 to meet with Russian leaders. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre announced these plans following talks involving Witkoff and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The parties discussed Ukraine’s security, post-war reconstruction, territorial issues, and the future of European security.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. Special Presidential Representative Steve Witkoff began talks in Oslo, the capital of Norway. Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gar Støre also joined the meeting. The talks are taking place following the early conclusion of the previous meeting between the Ukrainian and American delegations in Miami.