The Impressive TimesMoscow , July 4 : Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated that Russia will not accept any Ukraine peace agreement that fails to address its core national security concerns, including guarantees against NATO expansion, demilitarization of Ukraine, and the protection of Russian-speaking communities.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Lavrov emphasized that any viable resolution must provide credible guarantees for Russia’s long-term security.
“We cannot be satisfied with a resolution that fails to fully address Russia’s legitimate security interests or to eliminate and prevent future violations of the rights of Russian and Russian-speaking populations,” Lavrov asserted, according to a report by RT.
The comments come as Saudi Arabia continues to play a mediation role in the Ukraine conflict, having hosted key diplomatic talks earlier this year between Russia and the United States.
Lavrov reiterated Moscow’s longstanding objection to NATO’s eastward expansion, citing it as a primary catalyst for the ongoing war. He also criticized what he called the systematic erosion of rights for Russian-speaking citizens in Ukraine, pointing to recent legislation limiting Russian-language education and banning Russian-language publications.
Lavrov’s remarks follow President Vladimir Putin’s statement last week, in which he said that Russia’s security concerns have been continuously ignored by the West. The Kremlin insists that NATO’s activities near Russian borders and the increasing militarization of Ukraine are destabilizing the region.
Lavrov also warned that the West’s efforts to impose a “strategic defeat” on Russia are doomed to fail.
“The collective West, using the Nazi regime in Kiev as a battering ram, is trying to go to war against us. They have never succeeded before, and they will not succeed this time either,” Lavrov said during recent discussions with Kyrgyz counterpart Jeenbek Kulubaev.
The Russian Foreign Minister also responded to increasing criticism of the European Union’s military ambitions, with Moscow now viewing the EU as a threat on par with NATO. This comes after the EU pushed for member states to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP, citing Russia as a long-term strategic threat.
Meanwhile, internal divisions within the EU surfaced during a recent summit in Brussels, where Hungary vetoed aid and EU accession talks for Ukraine, even as other member states pushed for tighter sanctions on Russia.
Russia continues to deny any intent to attack Western nations, with Putin accusing NATO of fabricating threats to justify bloated defense budgets.
“It’s all nonsense, a tool to extract money from their citizens,” Putin previously said.
With the geopolitical standoff intensifying, Moscow maintains that any meaningful peace in Ukraine must include enforceable, long-term security guarantees.
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