Lavrov says Moscow has no illusions about an easy settlement of the Ukrainian issue

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on 25 December on the air of the 60 Minutes program on the Rossiya 1 TV channel that there will be no easy settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.

"We had no illusions and have no illusions about the prospects of an easy settlement of the Ukrainian crisis. Because it has long been clear to all unbiased observers that it can be resolved only in the context of agreements on reliable security and stability in Europe, agreements that would take into account the interests of the Russian Federation and, of course, the legitimate interests of all other countries," Lavrov said.

He added that Russia needs to see concrete serious proposals to resolve the crisis in Ukraine, adding that the response to the incoming proposals will be based on the national interests and goals of the Security Council.

To all this, the foreign minister reiterated that Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated the country's readiness for negotiations, and the president's peace proposals are not preconditions.

"The principles formulated by President Putin are not preconditions. This is what follows from international law. <...> We never walk away from negotiations, and this is what the president has repeatedly noted," he added.

Lavrov also said that the West and the Kiev regime are now talking about a "ceasefire" in Ukraine, but Moscow is not satisfied with this because there are no guarantees.

"We are talking exclusively about a truce, about allowing the Kiev regime to accumulate forces again with the help of the West and start new attempts to carry out the instructions of their masters to inflict a 'strategic defeat' on Russia." The president has already said this many times <...>: a ceasefire will not suit us, we need reliable, legally binding agreements," the diplomat said.

On the eve of the special envoy for Ukraine of the newly elected US President-elect Republican Donald Trump, Keith Kellogg, said that Trump does not want a repeat of the situation with the Minsk agreements, but wants a just, sustainable and secure peace. He added that the Republican "recognizes the importance of the relationships he has with allies" and expressed hope that he will be able to achieve a settlement of the conflict. The Rada, commenting on these words, said that it was bad news for Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky (whose term expired on May 20).

At the same time, the Kremlin's official representative, Dmitriy Peskov, said that there was no movement towards openness to negotiations on the part of Ukraine. He specified that Russia was open for the settlement of the situation, but Kiev did not demonstrate its readiness.

For his part, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban expressed the opinion that the special military operation in Ukraine would end in 2025. According to him, the Ukrainian conflict may end either with a peace agreement or with the complete liquidation of one of the parties.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which was announced on February 24, 2022, is still ongoing. The decision was taken against the background of the aggravated situation in the region.