Sergey Lavrov, the head of Russian diplomacy, during a speech at MGIMO addressed the recent visits of American negotiators to Moscow and Kyiv. His statement leaves no illusions about the Kremlin's intentions. Russia does not intend to accept the peace proposals presented by Donald Trump's administration. Lavrov directly called these initiatives an attempt to "dilute" Russia's conditions for ending the conflict.
According to the Russian minister, Vladimir Putin's 2024 demand remains unchanged. Moscow expects the elimination of "Nazism" from Europe. Lavrov even went so far as to state that Western support for Ukraine is a form of supporting Nazi criminals. This statement is consistent with Kremlin propaganda, which has portrayed the invasion of Ukraine from the start as a necessary "denazification."
The situation was somewhat softened by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. He stated that Russia does not rule out resuming talks in a trilateral format, with the participation of the United States and Ukraine. Peskov noted that there is currently no information about specific results of the recent contacts by American diplomats in Kyiv. However, he did not rule out the possibility of a phone call between the leaders.
The catch lies in the discrepancy between Lavrov's hard rhetoric and Peskov's flexibility. One might get the impression that the Kremlin is playing on two fronts – on one hand, it maintains the narrative about the necessity of continuing the war, while on the other, it leaves itself an open door for negotiations. For international observers, it is clear that any talks will be extremely difficult, if they happen at all.
It is worth noting the context of sanctions. Lavrov emphasized that Donald Trump's administration extended the restrictions imposed on Russia, including on the oil and gas sector. This is another crack in the image of a "peaceful negotiator" that Trump's circle is trying to build. Moscow feels cornered, but at the same time shows that its determination to continue military actions remains unwavering.
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