Trump facing headwinds in convincing Zelenskyy, NATO allies for peaceful settlement with Kyiv: Russia
Lavrov’s comments came weeks after unsuccessful efforts to summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump as a follow-up to talks in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15, when the two leaders failed to reach an agreement to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
“The Americans assured us then (the Alaska summit) that Zelenskyy would not hinder the establishment of peace. Apparently, some difficulties arose in this regard,” Lavrov said in an interview with state news agency RIA Novosti. he said.
“Moreover, as far as we know, Brussels and London are trying to persuade Washington to abandon its intention to resolve the crisis by political and diplomatic means and fully engage in efforts to exert military pressure on Russia, that is, to eventually become part of the ‘war party’.” he said.
Lavrov also emphasized that despite the compromise reached at the Anchorage summit, Moscow remains firm on its fundamental principles: Russia’s territorial integrity and the choice of the residents of Crimea, Donbass and Novorossiya are indisputable.
“We are now waiting for confirmation from the United States that the Anchorage agreements are in force,” Lavrov said. Putin has repeatedly stated that Russia only advocates a long-term solution without a temporary ceasefire, and that achieving such a solution is possible only by addressing the root causes of the conflict. The main reasons he identified include threats to Russia’s national security from NATO expansion and oppression of the Russian-speaking population in Ukraine.
Lavrov met with his US counterpart Marco Rubio on October 20 to prepare for the Budapest summit between Putin and Trump. It was reported that the summit was canceled due to Moscow’s strict stance towards seeking a political solution before the ceasefire.
Meanwhile, the Russian Army, together with NATO advisors, is advancing to capture the strategic towns of Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeisk) and Kupyansk, where more than 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers are blocked by pincer movements.
