Moscow (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Foreign Minister of Russia Sergei Lavrov questioned why Europe would be invited to join possible discussions on a peace settlement in Ukraine if European politicians want the war to continue.
Addressing a news conference with his Serbian counterpart before U.S.-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia, Lavrov stated that Europe had already had many options to be engaged in a settlement on Ukraine and that he didn’t know how European states would assist if they were invited to the negotiating table given their perspective on the war.
The views of European politicians on Ukraine vary, but most say they are seeking
“a just and lasting peace.”
Can European states help in a Ukraine peace settlement?
Previously, Lavrov consistently maintained that Ukraine and its foreign patrons never aimed at putting into practice the Minsk agreements meant to settle hostilities in east Ukraine. Still, such claims were fact-checked to be discredited as it is difficult to find some grounds for assumptions about the fact that Ukraine, Western nations did not plan on making them in practice.
Lavrov often portrays Western nations as instigators of conflict in Europe. He suggests they are pursuing a renewed Cold War and undermining Russia’s security interests. He has accused the U.S. of using Ukraine to weaken Europe economically.
Russian Foreign Minister has also criticized the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). He claims that it is being transformed into a subsidiary of NATO and the EU, which he believes obstructs its original purpose of easing East-West tension. In December 2023 (reported in early 2024), Lavrov attended a European security summit in Malta for the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.
