Moscow (BN24) – Russia declared Wednesday that any attempt to negotiate Ukraine’s future security without its involvement amounted to a “dead-end path,” issuing a sharp warning as Western leaders race to shape guarantees for Kyiv’s protection.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov condemned a recent White House meeting between President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and European leaders, saying that excluding Moscow from such talks was futile.
“We cannot agree with the idea that questions of collective security can be resolved without the Russian Federation. This will not work,” Lavrov said during a joint press conference with Jordan’s foreign minister.
U.S. and European military planners have been weighing post-war security guarantees for Ukraine, sources told Reuters, but Lavrov dismissed the discussions as unrealistic. “Seriously discussing security without Russia is a utopia. It’s a road to nowhere,” he said.
The warning came as NATO commanders held a video conference to review recent negotiations, emphasizing the need for a “just, credible and durable peace.” Meanwhile, a smaller group of military officials met in Washington to continue shaping proposals.
Tensions spiked further after Polish officials accused Russia of deliberately provoking NATO by sending a drone into eastern Poland, just as talks on peace efforts were gaining traction.
Lavrov also lashed out at European leaders, accusing them of staging “clumsy and unethical” attempts to pressure Trump into altering U.S. policy toward Ukraine. Trump reiterated that Washington would help guarantee Ukraine’s security but ruled out deploying U.S. troops, though he left the door open for air support in a future agreement.
Kyiv, for its part, confirmed that its military teams were actively drafting the defense framework of potential guarantees. Zelenskiy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said Ukraine was also preparing contingency plans with allies in case Russia “continues to prolong the war and disrupt agreements.”
Lavrov suggested Moscow favored “truly reliable” guarantees modeled on a draft accord discussed in Istanbul in 2022, which envisioned security commitments from major powers, including Russia. Kyiv rejected that proposal at the time, arguing it would have effectively granted Moscow veto power over military intervention.
