Lavrov noted the SCO countries' understanding of Russia's position on Ukraine

The countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) understand Russia's position on Ukraine and the principles of conflict resolution. This was announced on Tuesday, July 15, by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

"Colleagues, in turn, understand <...> the position on the need to eliminate the root causes of the conflict," Lavrov said at a press conference following a meeting of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers.

He also stressed that at the meeting the Russian side once again confirmed its position on the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine.

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Why do Russia and the West have different positions on this issue?

On the eve of the Kremlin's official representative Dmitry Peskov said that the Russian side is ready to continue negotiations with Ukraine to resolve the conflict, unlike Kiev, which is delaying the negotiation process due to the uncertainty of the timing of the meeting. Peskov also clarified that the visit of US President Donald Trump's special envoy Keith Kellogg to Kiev should help strengthen Washington's mediation in the framework of the Russian-Ukrainian settlement.