Lavrov: Europeans and Zelenskyy aim to leverage Trump's peace initiative to strengthen Kiev
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a meeting with Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Moscow, Russia, Sept. 16, 2024. Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via REUTERS
According to the top Russian diplomat, the Russian side has learnt such lessons at least three times
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Europe and Vladimir Zelenskyy aim to turn U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace initiative into a tool for strengthening Ukraine, though this is not what the U.S. leader intends, News.Az informs via TASS.
"You know what [EU foreign policy chief] Kaja Kallas and [NATO Secretary General] Mark Rutte said about the ceasefire and the settlement? They bluntly stated that they can support only the deal which at the end of the day will make Ukraine stronger, would make Ukraine a victor. So if this is the purpose of the ceasefire, I don't think this is what President Trump wants. This is what Europeans, together with Zelensky, want to make out of President Trump's initiative," he said in an interview with CBS.
According to the top Russian diplomat, the Russian side has learnt such lessons at least three times. "The deals, similar to the one which we are discussing now, were broken by the Ukrainian regime with the strong support from European capitals and [US former President Joe] Biden administration," he went on to say. "If you want a ceasefire just to continue supply arms to Ukraine, so what is your purpose?".
News.Az
