Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused European leaders of trying to undermine progress he said was made at last week’s US-Russia summit in Alaska on a possible peace deal in Ukraine.
Kiev’s European allies are trying to divert attention from addressing what Russia calls the “root causes” of the war, he says.
Lavrov also said any presence of European troops in Ukraine would be “absolutely unacceptable” because Kiev’s allies are working on security guarantees for the country.
That would be absolutely unacceptable for the Russian Federation, Lavrov said in response to a reporter’s question about security guarantees for Ukraine, calling them “foreign intervention in some part of Ukrainian territory.”
He also reiterated Russia’s concerns about the way the European discussion on security guarantees for Ukraine is being conducted without Moscow’s input.
Any ideas that deviate from those put forward by Russia in talks with Ukraine in Istanbul in 2022 are hopeless, he says.
Lavrov also said Ukraine was “not interested” in a long-term peace deal, accusing it of seeking security guarantees that were inconsistent with Russian demands.
– 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, just and long-term solution – he said at the press conference.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said he is ready to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but there are some issues that need to be resolved before such a meeting takes place, Lavrov said.
Putin questioned Zelensky’s legitimacy due to the postponement of elections in Ukraine due to the war.
Lavrov said that the issue of legitimacy would have to be resolved before Moscow could sign any document with Kiev, reports Reuters.
