Bali. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday denied that his country had refused to hold talks for a peaceful settlement with Ukraine and instead blamed the Kyiv regime for doing so as he cut short his trip to Indonesia’s Bali island for the G20 Summit.

"We have repeatedly confirmed through our president that we do not refuse to negotiate. If anyone is refusing to negotiate, it is Ukraine. The longer it [Ukraine] continues to refuse, the harder it will be to reach an agreement," Lavrov was quoted by TASS News Agency as saying.

It’s been almost nine months since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or what Moscow called a Special Military Operation began on February 24. Reports said Russia is pulling off troops from the key city of Kherson in eastern Ukraine.

Lavrov said there were rumors that "the US administration is telling [Volodymyr] Zelensky to be more cooperative" and that western countries urged the Ukrainian president to negotiate with Russia.

"Then, it is immediately clarified that this is not really for the aim of him actually behaving constructively, but to overcome objections from that portion of the Western world that is starting to doubt the need for additional weapons supplies," Lavrov said.

Lavrov left Denpasar International Airport for Russia later in the day with the G20 Summit expected to conclude on Wednesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin didn’t attend the summit despite multiple requests from President Joko Widodo, which holds the current G20 presidency, either by visiting him in Moscow or by phone calls.

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