Lavrov Says EU Is 'Contradicting' US on Ukraine
Washington has clearly communicated that Ukraine’s NATO bid is not currently on the agenda, as stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. In a Tuesday interview with Russia’s Channel 1, Lavrov pointed out that the EU leaders' stance...
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Washington has clearly communicated that Ukraine’s NATO bid is not currently on the agenda, as stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
In a Tuesday interview with Russia’s Channel 1, Lavrov pointed out that the EU leaders' stance on the Ukraine conflict stands in stark contrast to that of US President Donald Trump.
He attributed the EU's ongoing ambition for Ukraine's NATO membership to former President Joe Biden’s strategy of steering the EU towards a confrontation with Russia. As a result, the EU is facing “an enormous number” of social and economic challenges, which, according to Lavrov, “probably partly explains why they are so fervently not giving up on Ukraine” and are advocating for increased military assistance to the country.
“In other words, they are in direct contradiction to the Trump administration,” he remarked, emphasizing that Trump, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, had “made it clear that preliminary talks are underway on the parameters of the final settlement [of the conflict] and that NATO should be off the table.”
Ukraine has long pursued NATO membership as a way to secure a resolution to its conflict with Russia. Moscow, however, has pointed to Ukraine’s NATO aspirations as a primary factor in the ongoing conflict and has called for Ukraine's neutrality to be a cornerstone of any peace agreement.
Lavrov further criticized Biden for making “a colossal mistake” by refusing to engage with Russia and insisting on Ukraine's NATO membership, which he believes has “thereby created an unacceptable threat for us.”
He also ridiculed the EU leaders’ suggestions of deploying Western ‘peacekeepers’ to Ukraine, labeling them as “dreamers” who are “proving their complete political irrelevance with each passing day.”
Earlier in the month, the UK and France expressed their willingness to send a military contingent to Ukraine once a ceasefire is established. Moscow has denounced this plan as a cover for bringing NATO troops into the country, warning that it could potentially spark a direct conflict between NATO and Russia.
Lavrov has compared the EU's rearmament initiatives and calls for containing and defeating Russia to the military campaigns of Napoleon and Hitler, who had similar objectives. “We’ve been through all this before,” he remarked.
These comments come in the wake of a 12-hour discussion between senior Russian and US officials in Saudi Arabia, which aimed to address various technical matters. Further details regarding these negotiations are anticipated to be disclosed later on Tuesday.
Lucas Dupont for TROIB News
In a Tuesday interview with Russia’s Channel 1, Lavrov pointed out that the EU leaders' stance on the Ukraine conflict stands in stark contrast to that of US President Donald Trump.
He attributed the EU's ongoing ambition for Ukraine's NATO membership to former President Joe Biden’s strategy of steering the EU towards a confrontation with Russia. As a result, the EU is facing “an enormous number” of social and economic challenges, which, according to Lavrov, “probably partly explains why they are so fervently not giving up on Ukraine” and are advocating for increased military assistance to the country.
“In other words, they are in direct contradiction to the Trump administration,” he remarked, emphasizing that Trump, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, had “made it clear that preliminary talks are underway on the parameters of the final settlement [of the conflict] and that NATO should be off the table.”
Ukraine has long pursued NATO membership as a way to secure a resolution to its conflict with Russia. Moscow, however, has pointed to Ukraine’s NATO aspirations as a primary factor in the ongoing conflict and has called for Ukraine's neutrality to be a cornerstone of any peace agreement.
Lavrov further criticized Biden for making “a colossal mistake” by refusing to engage with Russia and insisting on Ukraine's NATO membership, which he believes has “thereby created an unacceptable threat for us.”
He also ridiculed the EU leaders’ suggestions of deploying Western ‘peacekeepers’ to Ukraine, labeling them as “dreamers” who are “proving their complete political irrelevance with each passing day.”
Earlier in the month, the UK and France expressed their willingness to send a military contingent to Ukraine once a ceasefire is established. Moscow has denounced this plan as a cover for bringing NATO troops into the country, warning that it could potentially spark a direct conflict between NATO and Russia.
Lavrov has compared the EU's rearmament initiatives and calls for containing and defeating Russia to the military campaigns of Napoleon and Hitler, who had similar objectives. “We’ve been through all this before,” he remarked.
These comments come in the wake of a 12-hour discussion between senior Russian and US officials in Saudi Arabia, which aimed to address various technical matters. Further details regarding these negotiations are anticipated to be disclosed later on Tuesday.
Lucas Dupont for TROIB News
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