Lavrov: European Hardliners and Kiev Sabotage US-Russia Talks

By Staff, Agencies

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has claimed that the administration of US President Donald Trump faces immense pressure from European hawks and Kiev, who are determined to prevent any negotiations between the US and Russia.

He made the remarks in an interview with Hungarian YouTube channel Ultrahang, which aired on Sunday.

Russia is not seeking to influence or “interfere” in the “internal considerations” of the US leadership, which has faced mounting pressure amid the rapprochement effort with Moscow begun under Trump, Lavrov said.

 “We don’t want to create some discomfort for the United States, which is under huge, unbelievable pressure from the European ‘hawks,’ from [Ukraine’s Vladimir] Zelensky, and others who don’t want to have any American-Russian cooperation on anything,” Lavrov stated.

Those seeking to disrupt the negotiations between Washington and Moscow are “trying to push President Trump from the logic that he repeatedly presented in the past,” Lavrov stated. The US president has repeatedly said the Ukraine conflict must be resolved for good and clearly reiterated the position when he hosted his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Alaska, the foreign minister added.

“It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a peace agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere ceasefire agreement. This is key,” he said.

The latest shifts in the US rhetoric, “when people now say, ‘nothing but a ceasefire, immediate ceasefire, and then history will judge,’ it’s a very radical change,” Lavrov stated.

“This also means that the Europeans, they don’t sleep, they don’t eat, and they try to twist the hands of this administration.”

Moscow has said it seeks a lasting solution to the Ukraine conflict rather than a temporary pause. Kiev and its Western backers, however, have repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire, which Moscow regards as a means to give Ukraine time to replenish the ranks of its military and rearm.