The key facts
- Lavrov: first the parameters of the security system, then the settlement of the conflict
- According to him, Europe is trying to 'buy time' to restore Ukraine's losses
- Von der Leyen previously linked substantive negotiations to a ceasefire
Lavrov's statement in Moscow
Russia will not agree to an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine without understanding what will follow the truce. This was stated by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, speaking in Moscow at a press conference with CSTO Secretary General Taalatbek Masadykov, reports Life.ru.
The essence of the grievances against Europe
«The logic [in Europe] is the old one — they must buy time for their clients, the Kyiv regime, and use that time to somehow restore the losses it has suffered militarily,» the minister emphasized. According to him, Moscow understands the tricks of the European Union, which is trying to stall and delay a ceasefire, and will not accept one-sided Western terms. Lavrov believes that the parameters of the future security system should first be defined, and only then should the settlement of the conflict begin.
Divergence of positions on the sequence of steps
The statement directly contradicts the approach previously voiced by the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen: in her words, substantive negotiations on a future European security system are possible only after a ceasefire in Ukraine. Thus, the sides adhere to opposite sequences: Brussels makes the ceasefire the first condition, while Moscow insists on defining the security parameters before a settlement. The publication does not report any new negotiating steps or any reaction from Kyiv.
