Russia’s Lavrov touts ‘chance’ for deal to avoid war, in possible climbdown

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says there is a “chance” of reaching an agreement on security with the West, in what appears to be a possible climbdown amid raging tensions over Ukraine.

“As head of the foreign ministry, I must say that there is always a chance” to find agreement, Lavrov tells Russian President Vladimir Putin during a carefully choreographed meeting when asked to comment on ongoing talks with the West.

The United States has warned that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could be imminent, and their western allies have threatened a crippling package of economic sanctions in response.

But speaking with Putin, who sits far from him down a massive table, Lavrov indicates that Moscow was prepared to continue talks with the West.

Резюме встречи Путина с Лавровым в двух словах: войны не будет, продолжаем договариваться с западными партнерами pic.twitter.com/BUKcseaaLj

— Дмитрий Смирнов (@dimsmirnov175) February 14, 2022

“Is there a chance to reach an agreement with our partners on key issues or is it an attempt to drag us into an endless negotiation process?” Putin asks Lavrov in the televised remarks.

Lavrov replies: “Our possibilities are far from being exhausted, they certainly should not continue indefinitely, but I would suggest continuing and ramping them up.”