Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to meet US envoys if they travel to Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday, stressing that what matters is the proposals they bring with them.
In an interview with Vesti, Lavrov was asked whether US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff or President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner could influence the US president.
Lavrov said he assumed that if the envoys had been entrusted with such a role, "they have influence over the US president, and he trusts them."
"We are not refusing to talk to them, and if they come, they know that President Putin is ready to receive them again," Lavrov said, according to a ministry transcript of the interview. "The question is, what will they bring?"
His remarks came amid reports that Witkoff and Kushner could visit Moscow and the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in the coming days.
Citing sources, Russian state news agency Tass reported that a visit by the two envoys could take place within a week to 10 days in an effort to revive Ukraine peace talks, which Moscow and Kyiv have said stalled as Washington shifted its focus to the Iran war.
On Thursday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said Moscow was ready to receive both envoys "once it becomes clearer what their actual plans are."
Ryabkov told Tass that a possible visit was under consideration amid periodic media reports on the issue.
Witkoff and Kushner last visited Moscow to meet Putin in late January.
Lavrov also responded to a question about why Russia does not present an ultimatum to the US before entering negotiations.
"We don't issue ultimatums," he said.
"We've submitted a number of questions to the State Department, asking for comment, including on intelligence data and the fact that the US is much more deeply involved in organizing and executing strikes deep into Russian territory against civilian targets. We'll await a response," he added.
