Russian foreign minister rejects Ukraine's push for unconditional ceasefire

MOSCOW

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday that Russia will not agree to an unconditional ceasefire with Ukraine, regardless of the pressures from French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Speaking to students at the Russian-Armenian University in Yerevan, Armenia's capital, Lavrov pointed out that Ukraine cannot be trusted, as it has previously used ceasefire agreements to reinforce and rearm its forces, allowing for renewed attacks on Russia.

"Now, when we're being told, 'Let’s have a ceasefire and then we’ll see,' we respond, 'No, we’ve been through this before, and we don’t want to repeat it,'" he remarked.

Lavrov also accused the European Union of exacerbating the conflict by continuing to arm Ukraine, blaming Macron and Starmer for supporting Kyiv, which resulted in the current situation.

In contrast, both Russia and the US have expressed support for establishing clear parameters for a long-term settlement in Ukraine, he said.

In response to a student's question about tensions between Moscow and Yerevan over Armenia's desire to join the EU, which contradicts its membership in the Eurasian Economic Union, and Armenia's growing ties with NATO, which contradict its participation in the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Lavrov emphasized that the two nations are having "open discussions" about these differences.

He also pointed out that Russia and Armenia have reached a point where mutual trust has been rebuilt, with both countries now focusing solely on factual, transparent exchanges.

Later, Lavrov met with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Vahagn Khachaturyan.

Pashinyan expressed a positive assessment of the bilateral relationship with Moscow this year.

At his meeting with Khachaturyan, Lavrov reaffirmed that Russia and Armenia are "allies and strategic partners."