Putin tells Trump Russia supports just resolution to Ukrainian crisis, says Lavrov

Russia will not leave Ukraine’s Orthodox believers in hardship and will work to ensure their legitimate rights are respected, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

“During a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed that Russia supports a just resolution to the Ukrainian crisis,” Lavrov stated.

Russia’s foreign minister noted that the canonical Orthodox Church has restored its central position in the spiritual life of the Ukrainian people.

“Russia’s stance is a guarantee of the implementation of the goals for a fair settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, provoked by the West. This stance was reaffirmed once again yesterday by President Putin during his phone call with U.S. President Trump,” Lavrov said.

He also added that the disregard by Kyiv for initiatives to establish a ceasefire on the occasion of Easter and Victory Day did not surprise anyone in Moscow.

To remind, the leaders of Russia and the United States had a two-hour phone call yesterday. After the call, Trump stated that Russia is committed to a peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian conflict, a sentiment also expressed by Putin.