An exclusive interview with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has shed light on just how far apart Moscow and Kyiv remain, even as President Donald Trump intensifies efforts to broker peace.
Speaking to NBC News, Lavrov dismissed the possibility of an immediate summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He explained that major disputes ranging from Ukraine’s NATO ambitions to Russia’s demand over Crimea and the Donbas region are still unresolved.
“There is no meeting planned. Putin is ready to meet with Zelensky when the agenda is ready for a summit. And this agenda is not ready at all,” Lavrov said.
Trump recently met separately with both leaders in hopes of laying the groundwork for negotiations. The White House is now pushing for a direct summit, but Lavrov’s remarks suggest that positions remain deeply entrenched. He accused Zelensky and European allies of framing the talks only in terms of “victory” or “defeat,” which Moscow rejects.
Russia continues to insist that Ukraine should stay out of NATO and accept territorial concessions, while Kyiv has firmly refused such conditions. Lavrov went as far as questioning Zelensky’s legitimacy as a leader, saying: “Zelensky said no to everything. How can we meet with a person who is pretending to be a leader?”
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022 what Moscow still calls a “special military operation” the Kremlin has refused to retreat from the 20% of Ukrainian territory it controls. While Lavrov claimed Russia is only protecting ethnic Russians in the Donbas, most of the international community sees this as a pretext for occupation.
Meanwhile, despite the escalation of attacks since Trump’s return to office in January, Putin has struck an optimistic tone. He praised Trump after their recent summit in Alaska, suggesting U.S.-Russia relations might finally improve. “With President Trump, I believe that a light at the end of the tunnel has nonetheless appeared,” Putin said.
For now, however, peace remains elusive caught between Trump’s push for diplomacy, Ukraine’s refusal to surrender sovereignty, and Russia’s unyielding demands.
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