The foreign ministers of the world’s leading economies (G7) have urged Russia to engage in genuine peace negotiations without preconditions.
The Russian side has maintained that fulfilling preconditions is essential for any meaningful and lasting solution to the crisis in Ukraine.
The ministers held a telephone meeting for an hour on Sunday night, coinciding with Ukraine’s Independence Day celebrations. The day also marked three and a half years since the outbreak of the war with Russia in 2022. Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, also took part in the meeting.
In a statement, G7 members welcomed “the creation of opportunities for a just and peaceful resolution to the aggression” under the leadership of US President Donald Trump.
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Meanwhile, Russia’s top diplomat responded to the meeting in a cryptic manner, saying that the G7 and the UN Security Council should guarantee Ukraine’s security once the current conflict comes to an end.
He made these remarks during an interview broadcast on Sunday night. He said Russia and the United States had discussed all possible ways to end the war in Ukraine, adding that Moscow is open to seeing security guarantees offered to Kyiv once the fighting ceases.
However, in what appeared to be a veiled warning to the G7, Lavrov stressed that Russia’s position must also be respected, declaring that “no one can strengthen their security at the expense of the security of others.”
Lavrov also referred to the peace talks held in Istanbul, Türkiye, in 2022, during which a proposal was made to create a group of guarantors.
The suggested guarantors included the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, as well as Germany and Turkey. Russia is one of the permanent members.
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