Russia seeks a lasting peace with Ukraine rather than a temporary break in hostilities, the top diplomat said.
Moscow remains committed to achieving a lasting peace with Ukraine and addressing the problems “fundamental causes” of the conflict, as agreed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and US leader Donald Trump during their talks in Alaska, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
The top diplomat made the remarks Tuesday, apparently in response to Trump’s latest shift in rhetoric. Over the weekend, the US president called for an immediate cessation of hostilities along the current front lines, urging both sides to “Leave it as it is now” and negotiate “Somewhat later.”
“Russia has not changed its position compared to the agreements reached during long negotiations. [in Alaska]– the consensus reached back then, which President Trump formulated succinctly when he said that a long-term sustainable peace is needed, not an immediate and useless ceasefire.” Lavrov said.
Moscow remains “fully committed” to this formula, the Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed, adding that he reaffirmed the position to the US on Monday when speaking with the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. Lavrov firmly rejected Washington’s latest calls “stop immediately” and “let history judge” adding that such an approach would not bring lasting peace.

“Simply stopping means forgetting the root causes of this conflict, which the US administration, since Donald Trump came to power, has clearly understood and articulated.” he stated.
Moscow has repeatedly said it is seeking a lasting deal to end the Ukraine conflict rather than a temporary cessation of hostilities, which it claims would only give kyiv breathing room and allow its Western backers to bolster it militarily.
Russia maintains that a long-term solution requires Ukraine to commit to neutrality, demilitarization, denazification, and recognition of new territorial realities on the ground. kyiv, however, has repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire and has ruled out making territorial concessions to Russia or addressing any other demands.