Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced Moscow's readiness to negotiate security guarantees for Ukraine, but stressed that dialogue is only possible given the new geopolitical realities. The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry made this statement while commenting on the prospects for resolving the conflict, which has been ongoing since 2014 and escalated in 2022.
Lavrov noted that Russia is ready to consider security guarantees for "the country that is now called Ukraine, or that part of it that has not yet self-determined." The minister also emphasized that the status of territories such as Crimea, Donbass and Novorossiya is not subject to discussion, since these regions, according to him, have already determined their future.
In Kyiv and Western countries, such statements were seen as yet another attempt by Moscow to legitimize its actions in eastern Ukraine and Crimea. The Ukrainian leadership has repeatedly stated that it considers these territories its own and insists on their return to Kyiv's control.
Meanwhile, analysts note that such statements may be an attempt by Russia to demonstrate its readiness for dialogue, but on its own terms.