Vladimir Putin’s top minister, Sergey Lavrov, made the declaration on possible dialogue.

The minister bashed the U.S. and its constant “hindrance” in the peace process. Lavrov said that everybody knows Volodymyr Zelensky doesn’t act independently. Recently, western powers held a meeting in Copenhagen to discuss Ukraine peace talks.

The Western leaders reportedly pushed Ukraine to have a dialogue with Russia. The push for talks is a complete shift in the West’s stand, as they were banking on Ukraine’s counteroffensive and claimed negotiations could legitimize Russia’s invasion.