Lavrov reiterated that Russia wants Ukraine to adopt neutrality, reduce its military forces, and abandon its NATO aspirations.
“Moscow will not agree to collective security guarantees reached without Russia’s participation,” Lavrov said at a news conference following talks with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.
“Russia will agree only if security guarantees for Ukraine are provided on equal terms with countries such as China, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France.”
Any role for Beijing or Moscow in shaping these guarantees complicates efforts by Western allies, the report noted. Even as they work on a defense plan for Ukraine to accompany a cease-fire or peace accord, Russia’s demands pose significant hurdles.
Lavrov also described a planned meeting between Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “a distant prospect,” suggesting that the Kremlin is not ready to advance talks to end the war.
He revisited an idea first proposed during peace negotiations in Istanbul in April 2022: creating an international coalition of security guarantors for Ukraine. That plan stalled in the West after Moscow insisted that all participating countries—including Russia—must approve it unanimously before any guarantees could take effect.
“I am confident that in the West—primarily in the United States—they fully understand that discussing security without the Russian Federation is a utopia, a road to nowhere,” Lavrov said.