Moscow is prepared to strike a deal to end its war in Ukraine, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday, after U.S. President Donald Trump publicly called on Russia’s Vladimir Putin to halt attacks, a rare rebuke following the deadliest strikes on Kyiv in months.
“We are ready to reach a deal, but there are still some specific points... which need to be fine-tuned, and we are busy with this,” Lavrov said in an interview with CBS News.
Lavrov said negotiations with Washington were moving in the right direction and would continue. He called Trump “probably the only leader on Earth who recognized the need to address the root causes of this situation,” though he added that the U.S. president “did not spell out the elements of the deal.”
Trump issued a direct appeal to Putin following deadly missile and drone strikes on the Ukrainian capital early Thursday. The attack, which left at least 12 people dead and dozens more injured, was the latest in a wave of Russian air assaults in recent weeks, defying Trump’s push for a swift end to the war.
“I am not happy with the Russian strikes,” Trump said on Truth Social. “Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP!”
Trump, who has long been accused of favoring Russia and frequently criticizes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, was asked by reporters what concessions Russia had offered as part of ongoing negotiations to end the war.
“Stopping taking the whole country — pretty big concession,” he said.
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to arrive in Russia on Friday for another round of ceasefire talks with Putin.
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