Lavrov: Russia No Longer Trusts West’s Calls for Ukraine Negotiations

Speaking at a press conference in Maputo following talks with Mozambican Foreign Minister Maria Manuela Dos Santos Lucas, Lavrov said Western governments publicly advocate negotiations while simultaneously issuing ultimatums and supporting Ukraine militarily.

He argued that the West has spent more than a decade obstructing every meaningful effort to reach a peaceful resolution between Russia and Ukraine.

Lavrov pointed to agreements reached in 2014, 2015, 2019, and the 2022 negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv, claiming that each was ultimately sabotaged by Western governments.

“We no longer trust the West’s declared willingness to find a negotiated solution,” Lavrov said, adding that Russia’s “reserve of good faith and hope has run completely dry.”

He also asserted that Western guarantees provided during previous agreements proved unreliable, saying they were ultimately dismantled by the same governments that had offered them.

During the visit, Lavrov expressed appreciation for Mozambique’s position on the conflict, praising what he described as the country’s balanced and principled stance at the United Nations and its refusal to allow the Ukraine conflict to dominate the international agenda.

The Russian foreign minister further warned that Europe is becoming an increasing threat to international peace and security through its continued military assistance to Ukraine.

Despite multiple diplomatic initiatives, including efforts supported by US President Donald Trump, no breakthrough has yet been achieved toward ending the conflict.

Russia launched what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine in 2022, stating that its objectives were to halt NATO’s expansion toward Russia’s borders, protect Russian-speaking populations in eastern Ukraine, and counter what Moscow describes as the pro-Nazi policies of the Ukrainian government.