Topic of Ukraine will be touched upon at Vladimir Putin -JoeBiden meeting: Lavrov

Moscow: Moscow and Washington are discussing the details of a new meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of the United States Joe Biden, the leaders will touch upon the topic of Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a press conference on Monday. 

"In the course of the next contact between our presidents, its time and other parameters are now being discussed, the topic of Ukraine will definitely emerge one way or another," the Russian top diplomat said.

Lavrov recalled that during the bilateral summit in Geneva, Biden had reaffirmed his adherence to the Minsk agreements by recognizing the need to fulfill the part of them that implies a special status for Donbass.

"This was also discussed when we received Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland. We proceed from the assumption that the United States, after all, may understand the current situation a little better. And as for the fact that they [Washington] can influence Kiev stronger than any other, it is likely that no one can doubt it," Lavrov said.

He recalled that Moscow had had contacts on Ukraine with the previous American administration as well.

"Without undermining the authority of the Normandy Four, without encroaching on the prerogatives of the Contact Group, such contacts are quite useful for exchanging views and discussing how the huge US influence on the Kiev regime can be used to benefit the cause," the Russian Foreign Minister explained.

Lavrov also stressed that he did not consider it necessary to create new formats for resolving the situation in Ukraine.

"We have the Normandy format and there is the most important mechanism that implements the agreements concluded as part of the Minsk Package of measures and in subsequent decisions - here I am talking about the Contact Group, where Donetsk, Lugansk and Kiev work directly with the assistance of the OSCE and the Russian Federation. All these agreements that were concluded in Minsk should be implemented in this format," he summed up.

On Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that video format would be more preferable for the meeting between Putin and Biden, but everything will depend on the decisions of the heads of state. According to him, there is no certainty about the timing of the contacts, they can take place before the New Year or later.