The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) continues to spell out Russian President Vladimir Putin's rejection of a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on US President Donald Trump's preferred timeline. The Russian MFA rejected on August 22 Western media accusations that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is undermining the peace process with his recent statements, including by rejecting Western security guarantees for Ukraine. The Russian MFA explicitly stated that Lavrov's statements represent the Kremlin's position, which the MFA stated is "distinguished by consistency" and has not changed following the August 15 Alaska Summit. The Russian MFA reiterated Lavrov’s statements from August 20 and 21, which stated that any serious discussions about Western security guarantees for Ukraine that do not "take into account" Russia's own "legitimate concerns" are a “road to nowhere.” The Russian MFA also reiterated Lavrov's August 21 statement that Russia favors collective security guarantees that are “truly reliable” and cited the Russian demands presented to Ukraine during the 2022 Istanbul Ukraine-Russia negotiations as containing such guarantees. Those demands would have permanently prohibited Ukraine from joining NATO, imposed severe limitations on the Ukrainian military, and banned Ukraine from receiving Western military assistance without imposing any restrictions on the size or capability of Russian forces. The Russian MFA stated that Lavrov's August 20 and 21 statements are consistent with Putin’s August 15 demand that any peace agreement address the "root causes" of the war in Ukraine, which the Kremlin has repeatedly defined as NATO's eastward expansion and Ukraine's alleged discrimination against Russian-speakers. The Russian MFA emphasized that Lavrov’s "statements confirm the theses" about the war in Ukraine that Putin has "repeatedly voiced." The Russian MFA stated that Putin sets Russian foreign policy and Lavrov, as the foreign minister, implements Russian foreign policy according to Putin's directive, and that Lavrov is therefore not undermining Russian foreign policy objectives.
The Russian MFA's statement that Lavrov is not undermining the peace process because Lavrov is executing Putin's foreign policy directives is an accurate assertion that Putin himself is the impediment to the peace process. ISW continues to assess that Putin remains uninterested in pursuing serious peace negotiations and maintains his long-standing war aims that amount to Ukraine’s full capitulation.
Putin continues efforts to obtain concessions from the United States in the US-Russian bilateral relationship without meaningfully engaging in the peace process in Ukraine. Putin stated on August 22 that Trump's assuming the presidency in 2025 was a "light at the end of the tunnel" in US-Russian bilateral relations and that his meeting with Trump in Alaska was "very good and meaningful." Putin stated that he hopes this meeting is part of "first steps" for the "full-scale restoration" of US-Russian bilateral relations and that the onus is now on the United States to restore relations because the United States is bound by certain international agreements. Putin has long sought to restore bilateral US-Russian negotiations to divert attention from the war in Ukraine, obtain concessions from the United States, and continue his war in Ukraine without further sanctions or other penalties. Putin continues to emphasize the prospects for improving bilateral US-Russia relations even as the Trump administration insists that Putin meet Zelensky to conclude a peace before restoring relations. Putin evidently still hopes that Trump will engage economically with Russia even if he offers no meaningful concessions to make peace. Putin's concern is likely growing under the threat of further US sanctions on Russia and its allies that could hinder Russia's war effort.
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[ISW] 러시아 공세 캠페인 평가, 2025년 8월 22일