Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has sharply criticized a peace plan that President-elect Donald Trump’s team is said to be considering to deal with the ongoing war in Ukraine. Foreign Minister Lavrov dismissed this proposal, especially the proposal to delay Ukraine’s NATO membership, as fundamentally unacceptable to the Russian government.
In a press conference, Lavrov expressed anger at Ukraine’s plan to halt hostilities along the war lines and transfer responsibility for the conflict to European forces, the New York Post reported.
“Judging by numerous leaks and interviews with Donald Trump, time “Their idea is to postpone Ukraine’s membership in NATO for 20 years and to deploy British and European peacekeepers to Ukraine,” Foreign Minister Lavrov said in a magazine on December 12. “We are not satisfied with these proposals.”
The criticism comes amid reports that President Trump, who has vowed not to abandon Ukraine, is seeking a strategy to broker peace while balancing European involvement. Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, whom President Trump nominated as special envoy to Ukraine, proposed using military aid and weapons as a negotiating tool to force negotiations.
But Foreign Minister Lavrov warned that such a plan would be a “complete dud” for Russia. He reiterated Russia’s longstanding opposition to Ukraine joining NATO under any circumstances, citing the alliance’s “active absorption” as the basis for a 2022 invasion of Russia.
The foreign minister added that the responsibility for starting talks with Russia rests with President Trump. “Even if we try to resume bilateral relations, we will have to swim against the current,” Lavrov said.
A report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington-based think tank, emphasized that Lavrov’s comments demonstrate Russia’s tough stance. According to ISW, President Vladimir Putin’s demands include permanent neutrality for Ukraine, a reduction in military forces, and regime change in Kiev.
As President Trump prepares to take office, how he navigates Russia’s hardline position poses a difficult challenge to his promise to end the war. With Mr. Lavrov’s flat refusal, questions remain whether Mr. Trump’s team will be able to hammer out a deal that satisfies all parties, or whether the conflict will remain at its current stalemate.
