Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov indicated Russia is “not happy” with peace proposals put forth by members of President-elect Donald Trump’s team.
During an interview with state-run media, the foreign minister was quick to affirm that Moscow is still ready and willing to communicate with the incoming Trump administration about a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine.
Lavrov argued that any peace settlement must deal with the root causes of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The foreign minister affirmed that “We have always been ready for talks, and we still are” but cautioned that if the U.S. “respects our interests, our dialogue will be gradually renewed. If not, everything will remain as it is.”
Judging from numerous leaks and Donald Trump’s interview with Time magazine on December 12, their idea is to suspend hostilities along the line of contact and transfer responsibility for confrontation with Russia to the Europeans. We are not happy, of course, with the proposals made by members of the Trump team to postpone Ukraine’s admission to NATO for 20 years and to station British and European peacekeeping forces in Ukraine.
Russia’s position of principle regarding the Ukrainian settlement is well known. It has been put forth by President Vladimir Putin on many occasions, including at the December 19 annual news conference. We have always been ready for talks, and we still are.
Lavrov continued, saying that Russia needs “reliable and legally binding agreements that would eliminate the root causes of the conflict and seal a mechanism precluding the possibility of their violation.”
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The minister also acknowledged the position Trump will find himself in after taking office when it comes to dealing with Republicans and Democrats who prefer a more hawkish approach to Russia.
Even if Trump tries to relaunch bilateral ties, he will have to swim against the stream, considering the current bipartisan consensus on the policy of deterring Russia, including by supporting the neo-Nazi Kiev regime.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration has pledged another $5.9 billion in aid to Ukraine to strengthen the country’s position before Trump takes office. The package includes an additional $1.25 billion for the Ukrainian military and another $1.22 billion for the Ukrainian Assistance Initiative, according to Axios.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have both signaled a willingness to engage with Trump over peace talks. “I think that President Trump is a strong man and I want very much to have him on our side,” Zelensky said in a recent interview.
Zelensky also indicated he might be willing to temporarily cede some territory to Moscow as part of the negotiations.
Russia reportedly abandoned its moratorium on the deployment of intermediate and short-range nuclear-capable missiles in response to Washington’s decision to deploy similar weapons in other regions, Reuters reported.
Russia's move, long signalled, will kill off all that remains from one of the most significant arms control treaties of the Cold War, amid fears that the world's two biggest nuclear powers could be entering a new arms race together with China.
Russia and the United States, who both admit their relations are worse than at any time since the depths of the Cold War, have both expressed regret about the disintegration of the tangle of arms control treaties which sought to slow the arms race and reduce the risk of nuclear war.
President-elect Trump promised on multiple occasions while campaigning that he would seek to bring an end to the war before he takes office on January 20, 2025.
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