Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday that negotiations to end the war in Ukraine remain far from complete, dismissing what he called “over-enthusiastic perceptions” of progress.
“Talks are continuing. The second round took place in Abu Dhabi, and there is still a long way to go,” Lavrov told NTV.
He pushed back against claims that US President Donald Trump “put Europeans in their place, put [President Volodymyr] Zelensky in his place, and demands they fulfill potential ceasefire terms,” adding: “All of this is fine if we want peace in Ukraine, but we are not there yet.”
Lavrov also reiterated Russia’s long-standing foreign policy priorities of building a “multipolar world order” and countering “neo-colonial practices,” accusing the US of weaponizing the dollar in global markets.
Lavrov earlier sought to shift responsibility for the stalled peace process onto Washington. On Monday, he told TV BRICS that Russia had accepted US proposals on Ukraine during talks in Anchorage last summer, but accused Washington of abandoning its own initiative.
“They’re telling us that we need to solve the Ukrainian problem. Well, in Anchorage, we accepted the US’s proposal. So, if we approach it like that, like men, they made the proposal, we agreed, and the problem must be solved,” he said.
He criticized the Trump administration for not reversing sanctions imposed under President Joe Biden, and instead introducing new restrictions on Russian energy giants Lukoil and Rosneft, supporting actions against Russian tankers at sea, and attempting to block India and other partners from purchasing Russian energy.
“It doesn’t matter what they say in Ukraine or Europe; we clearly see the abject Russophobia of most regimes in the European Union, with rare exceptions. The United States’ position was important to us,” Lavrov said.
The Russia-Ukraine talks, mediated by the US, were held in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 23-24 and Feb. 4-5.
Trump said Washington had “almost achieved” a peace settlement, while US special envoy Steve Witkoff described the negotiations as “constructive,” including discussions on a ceasefire and monitoring mechanisms. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov echoed the assessment.
A “fundamental difference” remains in how Ukraine and Russia envision ending the war, Zelensky said following the first round of trilateral talks.
Ukraine is seeking a ceasefire in which it holds on to at least the territory it controls. Russia, by contrast, is demanding concessions that Kyiv has rejected, including withdrawal from large parts of eastern Ukraine and recognition as Russian of territories not only seized since 2022, but also of land that Russia has not be able to take in four years of brutal war.
Russia currently occupies about 20% of Ukraine’s territory and has threatened to seize the rest of the Donetsk region if talks fail. Ukraine still controls roughly one-fifth of Donetsk, including heavily fortified urban areas.
Moscow also claims the Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions in full, despite only partially occupying them.