During the U.S. election campaign, Trump said he would find a solution to end the war "within a day," but failed to provide detail on how he would do this.
Lavrov told Russian state TV channel Russia-1 on Wednesday: "Washington’s fundamental approach to Ukraine-related issues, as well as to those concerning Europe, will not change because Washington will always seek to control everything that is happening within NATO’s orbit, especially on NATO territory.
“Proposals to freeze the conflict in Ukraine along the line of contact are essentially the same as the Minsk agreements in new packaging; actually worse,” Lavrov added, in reference to a series of international agreements that failed to halt the fighting in eastern Ukraine in 2014-2015.
Lavrov’s words could pour cold water over any peace plans Trump may harbor.
Trump’s silence over his plans has failed to quell rampant speculation over what they might entail, with numerous news sources in the West, citing sources close to Trump, alleging he will try to make Ukraine accept a loss of territory in return for peace. The land lost could be that occupied by Russia, with the conflict frozen on the current front line.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, has repeatedly said peace cannot be established until all Russian forces are expelled and all territory captured by Moscow, including Crimea, is returned.
The threat of Washington stopping weapons supplies, however, could persuade Kyiv to accept a deal, but Lavrov’s words indicate Russia will reject any peace overtures.
In a report published on November 13, the U.S.-based think tank, the Institute for the Study of War, wrote: “Lavrov's pre-emptive rejection of the potential suggestion to freeze the current frontline further indicates that Russia is not interested in softening its approach or demands in negotiations and maintains its objective of total Ukrainian capitulation, which Russian President Vladimir Putin explicitly outlined in June 2024.”
It added that the Russian government spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, recently accused Western officials of lying about their interest in peace in Ukraine while they are supplying Kyiv with military assistance.
“It will become true [the prospect of peace] when [Western politicians] give up aggressive rhetoric and illegal aggressive steps. In particular, the arms supply to the Kyiv regime,” she said.
