In brief
During a G20 foreign‑ministers' session in Atlanta on October 30, 2026, Sergei Lavrov stated that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s repeated comments about continued strikes on Russian targets were unhelpful for new negotiations and reaffirmed that Russia’s position on the Ukraine conflict had not changed. Lavrov warned that unresolved U.S.–Russia issues, such as sanctions and ongoing arms supplies to Kyiv, remained barriers to progress.
On Friday, 30 October 2026, at a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s remarks about continuing strikes on Russian targets were "unhelpful" for preparing new talks and that Moscow’s position on the Ukraine conflict was unchanged.
Lavrov said, "Our position is known, but what Ukraine intends to bring to the negotiating table, I don’t know," asserting that Zelenskiy’s frequent statements about acquiring more weapons to target Russian sites made preparation for negotiations difficult.
He went on to note that fundamental issues in U.S.–Russia relations were unresolved, as sanctions on Moscow remained in force and new arms supplies continued. Lavrov cited a U.S. State Department announcement approving the sale of 500 Patriot PAC‑3 missiles to Ukraine to illustrate the point.
Russia and Ukraine have said they are ready for further three‑sided talks with the United States, the first since early this year. Zelenskiy has stated that he hopes a trilateral meeting with peace negotiators will be held in Abu Dhabi between 6 and 10 November, and that Europe should also be involved in discussions on ending the war.
While Lavrov confirmed his stance on the core issues and the unhelpfulness of Zelenskiy’s comments, the future of the proposed trilateral talks remains unconfirmed, with no official schedule for the Abu Dhabi meeting yet set by the parties involved.
Separately, a 2014 TASS report noted that Lavrov supported the U.S. effort to keep G20 discussions depoliticised, noting its focus on economic and supply‑chain issues.
