Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's statement that Russia, China, and the United States could act as security guarantors for Ukraine effectively derailed Moscow's negotiations with Washington. Bloomberg writes about this, citing an unnamed European official, UNN reports.
Details
According to him, the Kremlin may now try to convince the White House to abandon its insistence on security guarantees for Ukraine and lower the level of the meeting between Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "to a meeting with lower-level officials to avoid new US sanctions."
Several high-ranking European officials and diplomats, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that they viewed Lavrov's comments as an attempt to slow down the process and expressed doubt that Putin was ready to conclude a deal. Trump insists on a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy for direct negotiations as the next stage of US efforts to end the war, which is now in its fourth year.
The authors note that Lavrov, in his statement, outlined the long-standing position that Moscow's security interests must be taken into account in any settlement. At the same time, Russia has repeatedly stated that Ukraine must abandon its ambitions to join NATO and adopt a neutral status. It has also rejected the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine.
"This raises the question of whether Moscow made concessions at Putin's meeting with Trump - as the US claims - or whether the US delegation might have misunderstood Putin's openness to security guarantees for Ukraine," the publication concludes.
Recall
Recently, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that security issues cannot be resolved without the Russian Federation, and dialogue without Russia's participation is "utopian and a path to nowhere."
Earlier, Lavrov clarified that Putin is ready to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The meeting is possible provided that the issues requiring consideration at the highest level are well-prepared.