An interview with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has revealed the deep rift between Moscow and Kyiv, casting doubt on President Donald Trump’s hopes of ending the Russia-Ukraine War quickly.
Speaking to NBC News, Lavrov made it clear that no summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is currently planned. He stressed that a meeting could only happen once there is a prepared agenda, something he said does not yet exist.
“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 explained.
Trump recently met both leaders separately in an effort to pave the way for peace, and the White House is now trying to arrange a direct summit. But Lavrov’s remarks highlight the fundamental disagreements blocking progress. Russia continues to demand that Ukraine abandon its NATO ambitions and give up Crimea and the eastern Donbas, while Ukraine has refused to accept these terms.
Lavrov accused Kyiv and its European allies of framing the conflict only in terms of “victory” or “defeat,” adding that Zelensky rejected all Russian proposals. Moscow also continues to justify its control over 20% of Ukraine, despite widespread international condemnation of the 2022 invasion—something Lavrov still calls a “special military operation.”
While Lavrov argued that Russia is not seeking “territories” but rather protecting ethnic Russians in occupied areas, most of the international community rejects this reasoning, calling it a pretext for aggression.
Despite ongoing violence, Putin struck a more positive note toward Trump, praising their recent Alaska summit and suggesting that U.S.-Russia ties could improve. “With President Trump, I believe that a light at the end of the tunnel has nonetheless appeared,” Putin said.
For now, however, the path to peace remains stalled—caught between Trump’s diplomacy, Ukraine’s refusal to give up sovereignty, and Russia’s uncompromising demands.
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