Moscow is willing to address the issue within a broader Eurasian framework, the foreign minister has said
Moscow is ready to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has announced.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Lavrov emphasized, however, that any talks must take place within a broader Eurasian framework in order to address larger geopolitical issues.
“We are ready to discuss security guarantees for the country that is now called Ukraine, and parts of that country which have not yet determined their status, unlike Crimea, Donbass, and Novorossiya [the union of the Donbass republics],” Lavrov stated during the briefing.
Moscow considers the Crimean peninsula as well as Kherson and Zaporozhye regions and the Donetsk, and Lugansk people’s republics as integral parts of its territory. Crimea joined Russia after a 2014 referendum following the Euromaidan coup, while the other regions were incorporated in 2022 after referendums supported by the local populations.
Lavrov reiterated that the Eurasian context would play a dominant role in these discussions. “The Western part of the continent will not be able to isolate itself from India, China, and Russia,” he said.
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has expressed a desire to secure a peace agreement with Russia within the year, emphasizing the need for strong security guarantees from Western supporters.
Zelensky has consistently advocated for firm security assurances, identifying NATO membership as the optimal solution for Ukraine’s long-term security.
Moscow, however, has contended that Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO were among the root causes of the ongoing conflict, maintaining that any settlement must result in the country’s neutrality and demilitarization.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has reiterated his readiness to engage in dialogue with Kiev, noting that any peace settlement must begin with Ukraine ceasing military operations and acknowledging the current territorial realities.
In July, Putin said Ukraine had the right to ensure its security but emphasized that this should not come at the expense of Russia’s safety.
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“Every country has the right to ensure its security and choose the means it deems appropriate,” Putin stated. However, he stressed that achieving the security of one nation must not create threats for another.
Putin expressed hope that this principle would be considered in discussions about Ukraine’s security. The Russian leader highlighted a draft agreement from the Istanbul talks, which detailed security guarantees for Ukraine.
Putin said the document was “broadly acceptable” to Russia but accused Ukraine of discarding it.
“It was thrown into the trash by the Ukrainian regime,” he noted.
Moscow has also dismissed the idea of a temporary truce, arguing that freezing the conflict would allow Kiev to regroup and prepare for further hostilities.
