Lavrov says Russia will not accept immediate ceasefire, accuses Europe of buying Kyiv time

In brief

• Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Moscow will not accept an immediate ceasefire.
• He accuses European governments of seeking a pause so Ukraine can rebuild its forces.
• Lavrov says consultations on a wider security framework are under way in Abu Dhabi.

Moscow rejects an immediate truce

He claimed European governments want a pause in fighting so that Ukrainian forces can restore their combat potential, and said Russia would not go along with that approach (Лавров заявил, что РФ не согласится на немедленное прекращение огня ради переговоров – NV) ("Ми на це не погодимося": у Путіна висунули новий ультиматум на тлі перемовин в Абу-Дабі – TSN).

Criticism of the European position

Lavrov described the European push for an immediate halt to hostilities as unacceptable. According to him, Brussels and other EU capitals are focusing on a demand to stop fire at once, and he cited remarks by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen about the need for a stable and reliable ceasefire before wider discussions on future security architecture.

Refusal of further ceasefires without a clear end state

Lavrov also said Russia would not agree to another truce or ceasefire, under whatever name, without knowing what would follow it (Лавров заявив, що РФ не погодиться на припинення вогню, аби "не дати Україні виграти час" – Espreso). He repeated Moscow's argument that Ukraine had repeatedly failed to honour earlier agreements, listing the Minsk arrangements of 2014 and 2015, talks in Paris in December 2019 and negotiations in Istanbul in April 2022, and claimed Western states had encouraged the non-implementation of those deals.

Talks in Abu Dhabi

Lavrov confirmed that consultations are under way in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He said they were initiated by the United States and cover the wider balance of forces, including the parameters of a future security architecture for Ukraine, Russia and Europe.