Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that Moscow was ready to listen if anyone wanted to hold talks on Ukraine.

Lavrov, speaking at a news conference in the 10th month of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, said Ukrainian allegations that Russia wanted talks in order to win time to regroup and rebuild its armed forces were absurd.

He said Russia would also be willing to return to talks with the West if it changed its mind about the merit of discussing security proposals that Moscow floated in December.