lavrov-says-eu-has-no-role-in-ukraine-peace-talks

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday that the European Union should not be part of negotiations on the Ukraine conflict, accusing the bloc of pursuing a hostile stance towards Moscow.

 

Speaking at a roundtable discussion at an embassy, Lavrov claimed EU nations were “clearly trying, quite brazenly, to reclaim a place at the negotiating table.” He argued that the bloc has no role in the process, citing its “position of revanchism” and its stated aim of inflicting a “strategic defeat” on Russia.

 

Lavrov also criticised EU debates on a potential troop deployment to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, saying such plans underscored why “there is, of course, no place for it at the negotiating table.”

 

Moscow has repeatedly rejected the idea of Western troops in Ukraine under any circumstances, saying NATO’s expansion towards Russia’s borders was one of the root causes of the conflict. The Kremlin has warned that any unauthorised foreign military presence in Ukraine would be treated as “a legitimate military target.”

 

Also Read : Lavrov raps US-led military drills, warns of 'threat' to Asia

 

Lavrov further accused both the EU and Kiev of trying to sway US President Donald Trump into abandoning his push for a negotiated settlement and instead resuming a standoff with Moscow. “[They want], essentially, to turn Biden’s war into Trump’s war,” he said.

 

Since his return to office in January, Trump has sought to mediate an end to the conflict, holding several rounds of talks with Russia.

 

Those efforts led to a US-Russia summit in Alaska in mid-August, which notably excluded both the EU and Ukraine. The meeting was described by both sides as highly productive.

 

Although the summit did not produce a breakthrough, Trump later stated that Ukraine could neither expect NATO membership nor the return of Crimea.

 

The peninsula voted to join Russia in a 2014 referendum following a Western-backed coup in Kiev. Trump has since shifted his focus from temporary ceasefire proposals to efforts aimed at achieving a permanent peace settlement.