Russia’s foreign minister derides ‘clumsy’ Western efforts on Ukraine war as NATO meets
Russia on Wednesday dismissed efforts to address Ukraine’s security without its participation as “a road to nowhere,” warning that any summit between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy must follow extensive preparatory work.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized European leaders for meeting U.S. President Donald Trump and Zelenskyy in Washington to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine. “I am sure that in the West, and above all in the United States, they understand perfectly well that seriously discussing security issues without the Russian Federation is a utopia, it’s a road to nowhere,” Lavrov said.
He accused the Europeans of “a fairly aggressive escalation of the situation… We did not hear any constructive ideas from the Europeans there.”
The White House says it is working on a trilateral or bilateral summit but insists security guarantees remain key. Putin and Zelenskyy last met in 2019, three years before Russia’s full-scale invasion.