In brief
At a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta on 30 October 2026, Sergei Lavrov declared Russia’s position on the Ukraine conflict unchanged and criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s comments on continued strikes as unhelpful for negotiations. Lavrov highlighted that unresolved U.S.–Russia issues such as sanctions and ongoing arms supplies to Kyiv remain. Both sides continue to express willingness to hold future three‑sided talks, while uncertainties over what Ukraine will bring to the table and the unresolved sanctions regime persist.
On 30 October 2026, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov addressed reporters on the sidelines of a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta and stated that Russia’s stance on the Ukraine conflict remained unchanged, while dismissing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s comments about continuing strikes against Russian targets as unhelpful for preparing for new talks.
Lavrov said that fundamental issues in U.S.–Russia relations were still unresolved, with sanctions on Moscow still in force and the United States continuing to supply weapons to Kyiv. He noted that the U.S. administration was echoing the sanctions imposed by former President Joe Biden, and that U.S. cooperation in intelligence sharing with Ukraine had grown.
"Our position is known, but what Ukraine intends to bring to the negotiating table, I do not know," Lavrov said.
He further stated that Zelenskiy’s frequent remarks that Ukraine was acquiring more weapons to strike Russian targets made preparation for negotiations difficult, adding that “this kind of attitude doesn’t really help much in preparing for negotiations.”
In the same comments, Lavrov described Russia’s position as “unchanged from the very start of the special military operation,” referencing Moscow’s designation of the campaign in Ukraine as a special military operation. He said that Moscow could not accept Ukraine as a “military threat to the lawful security interests of the Russian Federation.”
Zelenskiy had earlier indicated that he hoped for a trilateral meeting in Abu Dhabi between 6 and 10 November, inviting the United States to participate and expressing a desire for Europe to be involved in discussions on how to end the war. Both Russia and Ukraine have said they are willing to hold further three‑sided talks with the U.S. for the first time since early in the year.
Lavrov referenced a State Department announcement approving the sale of 500 Patriot PAC‑3 missiles to Ukraine, pointing to continuing arms supplies as part of the U.S. support for Kyiv.
Foreign ministers at the G20 meeting in Atlanta opted to skip the traditional group photo, with some officials indicating objections to appearing alongside Lavrov.
Previously, in 2014, Lavrov had expressed support for keeping G20 discussions depoliticised, noting that geopolitics impacted energy, food and supply chains and that the U.S. hosts were listening carefully to such issues.
What remains uncertain, as highlighted by the sources, is what Ukraine will ultimately bring to the negotiating table, how the unresolved sanctions regime will evolve, and whether the forthcoming trilateral talks will lead to a substantive framework for ceasefire negotiations. Both sides have positioned themselves for further dialogue, yet key issues such as the arms supply to Kyiv and the continued sanctions remain unresolved.
