Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was dubious on Monday regarding European nations’ participation in Ukraine ceasefire negotiations, stating they had objectives to prolong the conflict. He made his remarks on the eve of a trip to Saudi Arabia for discussions with U.S. officials and as European leaders gathered in Paris for an emergency summit on the crisis.
Lavrov also asked why European representatives were being called to the negotiating table, and if their aim was to wage war, then their presence would not be necessary. “I don’t know what they would do at the negotiating table. if they are going to sit there with the aim of continuing war, then why invite them?” he said at a press conference in Moscow.
The foreign minister reflected on Europe’s past opportunity of brokering peace in the conflict, referring to what occurred in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea and supported pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. He said that Europe had not moved effectively at the time, which was a turning point.
Meanwhile, the United States has said it wants both Russia and Ukraine to compromise if ceasefire negotiations are to move forward. However, Lavrov said Moscow would not compromise on territories that it has captured in eastern and southern Ukraine and that giving up land was not something that could even be considered in negotiations.
In 2022, the Kremlin announced the annexation of four Ukrainian regions—Lugansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia—though it didn’t fully control these regions.
