summits do not result in worsening the situation
Lavrov emphasized high-level summits need thorough preparation to avoid worsening situations, contradicting Trump's earlier claims that planning had begun. Russia conditions security guarantees on Ukraine abandoning NATO ambitions and accepting UN permanent members, including Russia and China, as guarantors.
- Lavrov said Putin-Zelensky summit remains uncertain and requires extensive preparation
- Trump claimed planning had begun after Monday talks; Kremlin has not confirmed any meeting
- Russia conditions security guarantees on Ukraine abandoning NATO membership
- Putin proposed resuming direct negotiations and elevating delegation levels, per Lavrov
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov stated that a Putin-Zelensky meeting requires extensive preparatory work, while discussions on Ukraine's security guarantees continue among major powers.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that a summit between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky remains uncertain, insisting that substantial groundwork must be laid before the two leaders can meet. His statement came just days after Donald Trump claimed to have begun planning such a gathering following his talks with Ukrainian and European officials at the White House on Monday.
The Kremlin has never formally confirmed that any summit is scheduled. Lavrov explained that Trump had spoken by phone with Putin, and the Russian president had expressed willingness to resume direct negotiations with Ukraine—talks that had previously occurred in Istanbul. Putin, according to Lavrov, had also proposed elevating the level of delegations involved in those discussions. But none of this, Lavrov made clear, amounted to agreement on a presidential meeting. "We are ready for any format," he said, "but when it comes to high-level meetings, they need to be prepared as thoroughly as possible at all prior stages, so that summits do not result in worsening the situation, but actually bring to an end the negotiations we are ready to continue."
The question of security guarantees for Ukraine has become central to any potential peace agreement. The United States said this week it would help coordinate such guarantees and might provide additional support, though it ruled out sending troops. France's Emmanuel Macron stated that European allies and Washington had agreed that future security arrangements for Kyiv should include military support and the establishment of maritime, air, and land forces. Lavrov, however, attached conditions. Moscow would support security guarantees, he said, but only if Ukraine abandoned its aspirations to join NATO and accepted the five permanent members of the UN Security Council—including Russia and China—as guarantors of Ukrainian security.
Lavrov reiterated that Russia favors "genuinely reliable" guarantees, a position he had outlined weeks earlier when Putin and Trump met in Alaska on August 15. At that time, Putin had said Moscow agreed that Ukraine's security should be guaranteed and stood ready to work toward that goal. Yet the Kremlin has never specified what security conditions it would actually accept. The gap between what various parties say they want and what they are willing to agree to remains wide. The diplomatic machinery continues to turn, but the path to a summit—let alone a peace settlement—remains uncharted.
Notable Quotes
We are ready for any format, but when it comes to high-level meetings, they need to be prepared as thoroughly as possible at all prior stages, so that summits do not result in worsening the situation.— Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister
Moscow is in favor of security guarantees for Ukraine, but only if Kyiv abandons NATO ambitions and accepts UN Security Council permanent members, including Russia and China, as guarantors.— Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why did Lavrov feel the need to push back on Trump's claim that summit planning had already begun?
Because in diplomatic language, saying a summit is being planned is almost the same as saying it will happen. Lavrov needed to signal that Russia hadn't committed to anything yet—that there's still a lot of negotiating to do before Putin sits down with Zelensky.
What does Russia actually want from these security guarantees?
They want Ukraine to give up on NATO membership, which is the thing Ukraine most wants to preserve. And they want Russia itself to be one of the countries guaranteeing Ukraine's security—which is like asking the person who invaded you to promise to protect you.
Is there any real daylight between what the Americans and Europeans are proposing?
Not much. They're talking about military support and security forces. But Russia is saying those guarantees only work if Ukraine stays out of NATO and Russia has a seat at the table. That's a fundamental disagreement.
So how close are we to an actual summit?
Not very. Lavrov's statement was basically saying: we're talking, but we're not ready yet. The Kremlin hasn't even confirmed a meeting will happen. It's a way of keeping the door open while not committing to anything.