Russia's Lavrov: Europeans Actively Working to Derail Ukraine Peace Progress
Lavrov: Ukraine "not interested" in long-term peace, accuses West of derailing talks. He reiterated that European troop deployments in Ukraine would be "unacceptable" and insisted Moscow must be included in security talks.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday accused Ukraine of having no genuine interest in a sustainable peace deal, charging that Kyiv’s position on security guarantees remains incompatible with Moscow’s conditions.
“The Ukrainian regime and its representatives comment on the current situation in a very specific way, directly showing that they are not interested in a sustainable, fair, long-term settlement,” Lavrov told reporters during a press conference.
Lavrov said President Vladimir Putin had repeatedly expressed readiness to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but stressed that such a summit could not proceed until key issues were addressed—including what Moscow calls questions over Zelenskyy’s legitimacy following the postponement of elections due to the war.
“The legitimacy issue must be resolved before Russia can sign any document with Kyiv,” Lavrov asserted.
Lavrov also accused European leaders of attempting to derail progress achieved at last week’s U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska, where possible outlines of a peace framework were discussed. He denounced European security proposals for Ukraine as “foreign intervention,” particularly reports of potential troop deployments.
“Any presence of European forces in Ukraine would be absolutely unacceptable for the Russian Federation,” Lavrov declared. He reiterated that discussions of security guarantees excluding Russia amounted to “a road to nowhere.”
According to Lavrov, Western allies are shifting attention away from what Moscow describes as the “root causes” of the conflict, while disregarding Russia’s positions laid out in earlier talks held in Istanbul in 2022. “Any ideas departing from those principles are hopeless,” he said.
The latest remarks echo warnings Lavrov issued on Wednesday, ahead of a NATO meeting on security guarantees for Ukraine. He cautioned that excluding Moscow from such discussions would render them meaningless. “Discussing security guarantees seriously without the Russian Federation is a road to nowhere,” he said.
He accused European leaders of making “clumsy attempts” to influence U.S. President Donald Trump during their recent talks in Washington, claiming no constructive proposals had emerged from Europe.
Speculation about a Putin-Zelenskyy summit has continued, with French President Emmanuel Macron proposing Geneva as a possible venue, while Putin reportedly suggested Moscow. Zelenskyy dismissed the Russian capital as an option, according to diplomatic sources. Trump has floated the idea of hosting a trilateral meeting if a bilateral encounter proves successful.
Meanwhile, U.S. and European officials have debated security commitments, with Trump ruling out American ground troops but suggesting air support as part of a potential arrangement. European leaders, however, have indicated readiness to send limited forces to oversee implementation of a future deal, a prospect Russia categorically rejects.
At the same time, Moscow continues to report battlefield gains, announcing the capture of several settlements in eastern Ukraine this week, underscoring the fluidity of the military situation even as peace negotiations remain uncertain.
