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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday that Moscow supports the security guarantees framework agreed upon during 2022 Istanbul negotiations with Ukraine, as U.S. and European military chiefs reportedly developed new options for protecting Ukraine under any future peace deal.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Moscow with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Lavrov emphasized Russia's continued support for the principles drafted during the early 2022 negotiations.
"Those principles are truly based on the principles of indivisibility, security and collective security," Lavrov said, referring to the document that both Ukrainian and Russian delegations initialed in Istanbul.
The 2022 framework would have established Ukraine as a neutral, non-nuclear state that would not join NATO or other military alliances. Security guarantees would have been provided by a group including permanent U.N. Security Council members, Germany and Türkiye, with the list open to other nations.
Lavrov blamed former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson for sabotaging the Istanbul agreement, stating that the collectively provided security guarantees principle established then "remains extremely natural and valid today."
Military chiefs from the United States, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and Ukraine met in Washington from Tuesday through Thursday to develop security guarantee options for Ukraine, Pentagon officials speaking to Reuters confirmed.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a conference call Thursday with European counterparts to discuss the proposals, according to officials familiar with the matter.
"The planning work continues," said a source, adding that European countries would provide "the lion's share" of any forces involved in security guarantees for Ukraine, echoing Vice President JD Vance's Wednesday comments.
Lavrov confirmed that President Vladimir Putin is prepared to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but with significant caveats.
"Our president has repeatedly said that he is ready to meet, including with Mr. Zelenskyy," Lavrov said. However, he added that "all issues that require consideration at the highest level will be well worked out, and experts and ministers will prepare appropriate recommendations."
Lavrov also raised questions about Zelenskyy's legitimacy to sign peace agreements, stating hope that "the issue of the legitimacy of the person who signs these agreements from the Ukrainian side will be resolved."
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy accused Putin of "trying to wriggle out of holding a meeting" to discuss peace arrangements on Friday, saying "They don't want to end this war."
Zelenskyy pointed to continuing Russian strikes on Ukraine, including on American company facilities in Mukachevo, and alleged provocations against NATO countries including Lithuania and Poland.
"We expect our partners to respond in a principled manner. This war must be brought to an end. Pressure must be exerted on Russia to end the war. Putin understands nothing but force and pressure," Zelenskyy said.
French President Emmanuel Macron thanked President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a phone call for Türkiye's "excellent cooperation" in the Volunteer Coalition supporting Ukraine with ending hostilities and establishing strong security guarantees.
Macron posted on X that France is "ready to work with Türkiye on an ambitious bilateral agenda," and that both leaders "strongly condemned" Israel's attacks on Gaza and settlement expansion plans in the occupied West Bank.
U.S. President Donald Trump has pledged to help protect Ukraine under any peace deal while stating he will not deploy U.S. troops there.
Options are reportedly under consideration include U.S. command and control of European forces in Ukraine and various forms of air support, including air defense systems or enforcing a no-fly zone with U.S. fighter jets.
French President Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have both supported troop deployments as part of a coalition of the willing, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also signaling openness to participation.
Lavrov criticized what he called the West's "aggressive, confrontational policy" aimed at strategically defeating Russia, stating that Russia would continue following the paths agreed upon during Putin and Trump's Alaska summit and subsequent phone conversations.
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