The Kremlin casts doubt on Trump’s push for Ukrainian peace while the rifts remain unresolved

Security guarantees

Lavrov has met Russian requirements for this to be part of all international talks on the security of Ukraine after the Defense leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Finland, Ukraine and NATO met on Wednesday to chop the protections of Kyiv could offer in an agreement.

“Security guarantees must be subject to consensus,” he said, saying that Russia had presented security guarantees “several times”.

Putin is ready to meet Zelenskyy “when the agenda is ready,” said Lavrov. But he suggested that Putin would not sign a peace agreement with Zelenskyy, whose Moscow legitimacy interviewed since the Ukrainian elections were postponed last year in the middle of martial law.

“When we arrive at a stage where you have to sign documents, we would need a very clear understanding of everyone that the person who signs is legitimate,” he said. “And according to the Ukrainian constitution, Mr. Zelenskyy is not for the moment.”

Friday, optimism seemed to be on the decline in Washington.

In a separate interview with Welker, vice-president JD Vance said that Russia had made “important concessions” to Trump, in particular by recognizing “territorial integrity” of Ukraine after the war and not trying to “install a puppet regime in kyiv”.

But Vance recognized that there were “hills and valleys” in the negotiations. “We will eventually succeed, or we are going to hit a brick wall,” he said.

Trump also seemed to temper his expectations.

“We will see what’s going on,” he told journalists on Friday. “I think that in the next two weeks, we will find out in which direction it will go. And I better be very happy. ”

“It will be a very important decision, and it is whether or not they are massive sanctions or massive rates, or both,” he continued. “Or do we do nothing and say:” It’s your fight. “”