Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the Moscow daily newspaper “Izvestia” that the peace plan proposed by Ukraine is useless, as it is based on unacceptable concepts, such as Moscow’s withdrawal from the areas captured by it, Reuters reports.

The head of Russian diplomacy told “Izvestia” that the international peace summit regarding Ukraine will not succeed until its fundamental foundations are changed, including the admission of Russia to participate.

In any case, we are ready to negotiate, but not on the basis of Zelensky’s “peace formula,” Lavrov told the Moscow daily.

“How could any serious politician from Washington, Brussels, London, Paris or Berlin say that there is no alternative to Zelensky’s formula,” he added.

Lavrov rejected as unacceptable the provisions of this plan, which provides for the withdrawal of the Russian army from the territories captured by it, including the Crimean peninsula illegally annexed in 2014, and the restoration of the post-Soviet borders of Ukraine in 1991. The plan also calls for holding Russia accountable for the 2022 invasion.

Zelensky has rejected talks with Moscow on any basis other than his peace plan.

Lavrov said he met with officials and diplomats in Switzerland, who assured him that the peace summit Bern agreed to host would include Russia and take place under realistic conditions.

He said Swiss officials told him that “we understand that nothing can be resolved without you, it’s unfair,” and that once the plan becomes a “collective product,” Russia will be invited.

Lavrov also noted that US proposals to discuss arms deals, separating this issue from the conflict in Ukraine, do not make much sense.

“It’s a joke, and it reflects badly on those in the Washington administration who deal with foreign policy,” Lavrov told Izvestia. “It all boils down to the fact that the foreign policy of the United States is run by people who don’t know the intricacies of diplomacy.”