Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made remarks to reporters at a G20 meeting, stating that Russia's demands and goals for ending the conflict in Ukraine remain unchanged. He criticized Washington for continuing policies that make peace more distant, including providing arms and intelligence to Ukraine.
Lavrov noted that despite recent optimistic headlines about potential peace talks, the US has actually increased its cooperation with Ukraine, including sharing intelligence and approving the sale of Patriot missiles. Lavrov's comments came as a surprise, given the recent reports of potential trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the US.
He emphasized that fundamental issues in relations between the US and Russia remain unresolved, including sanctions on Moscow and arms being provided to Kyiv. The Russian diplomat made it clear that Moscow cannot accept Ukraine as a military threat to Russia's security interests.
The US has continued to provide support to Ukraine, with the State Department recently approving the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles. Lavrov's comments suggest that the US is not moving quickly enough to pressure Ukraine into talks and compromise, and that the conflict remains in a protracted and stalemated state.
The Russian government's perspective is that the White House is not fulfilling its promises to facilitate peace talks.