Ukraine is asserting that Russia must be compelled to engage in peace talks, following comments from Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that downplayed the likelihood of negotiations, while blaming President Volodymyr Zelensky for a lack of cooperation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is “open to a meeting,” but only if the agenda aligns with Russia’s interests, according to Lavrov. On Friday, he expressed Ukraine’s refusal to accept any of Moscow’s proposed terms, criticizing Zelensky’s leadership. Lavrov characterized Ukraine’s stance as uncooperative, suggesting that it impedes the possibility of a constructive dialogue.
He mentioned that during last week’s conference in Alaska, there seemed to be hope for progress, with an agreement between Putin and former President Donald Trump on several issues. However, Lavrov noted that the onus falls on Ukraine for not fully embracing the proposed consensus. According to him, Russia is open to negotiation but underlined that “the agenda for the summit is not ready at all.”
Ukrainian President Zelensky, engaging with NATO’s executive director during a visit to Kyiv, responded to assertions that Ukraine is delaying peace efforts. He emphasized the need for a trilateral dialogue among himself, Putin, and Trump. Zelensky stated that if Russia continues to stall, it should motivate Ukraine’s allies to apply pressure on Moscow.
He firmly asserted that “we must compel them to engage in diplomacy.” Zelensky advocated for strong sanctions if Russia refuses to seek a diplomatic resolution to end the war, insisting that all measures must be taken to prevent Russia from evading discussions.
Zelensky also addressed Lavrov’s prior comments, which suggested that Europe’s initiatives to establish new security arrangements in Ukraine would do more harm than good. Lavrov accused European nations of escalating tensions with an “anti-Russian” agenda and argued that Russia should be part of any security discussions moving forward.
In response, Zelensky called out the hypocrisy of Russia’s military actions and stressed the importance of finding ways to safeguard neighbors from such aggression. He remarked, “When Russia talked about security guarantees, I really fail to see who might have been threatening them. They’re the ones who attacked us (…).
