The Russian Foreign Ministry published Lavrov's correspondence with the Foreign Ministers of France and Germany Germany in order to avoid distortions of Moscow's position regarding the meeting of diplomats in the “Normandy format”. This was reported on the website of the diplomatic department.
“Recently, Russia's position, its role in the internal Ukrainian settlement and approaches to holding a possible ministerial meeting in the Normandy format have been distorted. To prevent further speculation, the Russian Foreign Ministry decided to publicize the primary sources and publish the diplomatic correspondence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation S.V. Lavrov with the heads of the foreign affairs agencies of Germany and France H. Maas and J.-I. Le Drian, “the message says.
In his first letter, dated October 29, 2021, Lavrov wrote to his colleagues that he would like to reaffirm the importance of continuing joint efforts within the framework of the Normandy format to help resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine. “I believe that our possible meeting, the convening of which is now much talked about, should be well prepared, including the advance development of a detailed joint final statement with specific recommendations to Ukraine and certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions as parties to the conflict,” Lavrov writes and sends the Russian draft “Such a document that, in our opinion, reflects the realities and main tasks of the peace process.”
In the next letter dated November 6, Lavrov writes that he received a message from his colleagues on the October 29 proposals and is disappointed with them. In the last letter sent on November 16, the Russian Foreign Minister notes that Moscow is increasingly faced with a distortion of Russia's position and its role in the settlement of the internal Ukrainian conflict. “Unfortunately, your joint statement“ In support of Ukraine ”, made in Brussels on November 15 following a meeting with Foreign Minister D. Kuleba, was no exception. In it, you threatened us with some “consequences” for the alleged attempts to undermine the territorial integrity of Ukraine, accused us of “yet another refusal” to participate in the Normandy format ministerial meeting, “the Russian Foreign Minister writes and notes that he is forced to take an unconventional step. – to make the correspondence public.
Earlier, the Foreign Ministers of France and Germany Jean-Yves Le Drian and Heiko Maas expressed regret over Russia's refusal from the “Normandy format” to resolve the situation with Ukraine. “We express regret that Russia has repeatedly refused to meet at the level of foreign ministers in the Normandy format, and once again express our readiness to meet and interact constructively and substantively,” their joint statement reads.