Lavrov weighs in on Trump’s Ukraine peace efforts

Moscow has no illusions about the possibility of an easy settlement of the Ukraine conflict with the administration of incoming US President Donald Trump taking office next month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.

Speculation about possible Russia-Ukraine peace talks gained momentum after Trump’s victory in the US presidential election last month. The Republican has repeatedly vowed to quickly end the fighting.

Lavrov made the remarks on Wednesday during an interview with the program 60 Minutes aired on the Rossiya TV channel.

He said many have some expectations of possible changes with Trump returning to the White House. However, the conflict can only be resolved in the context of agreements that would take into account the national interests of Russia and, at the same time, the “legitimate interests of other countries.” 

Lavrov reiterated that Moscow is open to talks, saying “we never abandon negotiations … but we need to see serious, concrete proposals...” 

The Russian foreign minister said he was aware of recent statements by Trump’s special adviser on Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, who claimed that the incoming US president is interested in stopping the Ukraine conflict “as quickly as possible.” 

The retired US Army General, Kellogg told Fox News this week that a sustainable peace between Russia and Ukraine is one of Trump’s top foreign policy priorities. He said Trump is seeking a peace that will be “fair… sustainable, and secure,” adding that he does not want the settlement process to go the same way as the now-defunct Minsk agreements.

Signed in 2014 and brokered by Germany and France, the agreements were intended to give the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, now part of Russia, special status within the Ukrainian state.

Moscow has repeatedly said it is open to talks on Ukraine, provided they take into account the territorial “reality on the ground.” However, in the fall of 2022, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky signed a presidential decree banning talks with the current leadership in Moscow altogether. He imposed the ban after four former Ukrainian regions voted overwhelmingly to join Russia.

Kiev remains unwilling to start any diplomatic engagement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday.

One of the peace plans reportedly being considered by Trump would involve freezing the conflict along the current front line without recognizing Russia’s sovereignty over territories claimed by Ukraine while suspending Kiev’s NATO membership ambitions.

Moscow has ruled out any freeze of the conflict, arguing that this would allow Ukraine to win time and rearm itself. It maintains that the conflict can only end when its goals, including Ukraine’s neutrality, demilitarization, and denazification, are met. It has also signaled that it would immediately declare a ceasefire and begin peace talks once Kiev withdraws from all Russian territory, including Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye Regions.