Russia rebuffed incoming U.S. President Donald Trump's call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, while saying it's ready to hold negotiations on a long-lasting peace agreement to end almost three years of war.

"A ceasefire is a road to nowhere" that Ukraine will use to build up its military capacity, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an online news conference on Thursday. "We need conclusive, legally-binding agreements which will create all the conditions for ensuring the security of the Russian Federation and, of course, the legitimate security interests of our neighbors."

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