INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Russia on Thursday accused Ukrainian negotiators of changing demands since last month's talks in Istanbul, claiming that Kyiv was not
interested in ending fighting.Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met in Istanbul in March but there have been few signs of the conflict
"the Ukrainians clearly stated that future (international) security guarantees for Ukraine do not apply to Crimea and Sevastopol," Lavrov
said, referring to territory Moscow annexed in 2014."In yesterday's draft, this clear statement is missing," he added.He also said that
Ukrainians wanted the leaders of Russia and Ukraine to discuss Crimea and separatist-held territory in eastern Ukraine face-to-face."At the
next stage, the Ukrainian side will certainly ask for the withdrawal of troops and will put forward new preconditions," Lavrov
predicted."This is unacceptable."He accused Ukrainian authorities of seeking to scupper talks and not wanting to end more than a month of
fighting."We see this as a manifestation of the fact that the Kyiv regime is controlled by Washington and its allies, who are pushing
President Volodymyr Zelensky to continue hostilities," Lavrov said.
