🎙 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview with VGTRK (Moscow, August 19, 2025) Key points: ‱ It showed without any doubt, that the US Leader and his team are sincere in their commitment to achieving tangible results by bringing about something lasting, durable, and sustainable. This is what sets them apart from the Europeans who, at the time, shouted at every corner that they would not accept anything but a ceasefire, and even after that would go on supplying weapons to Ukraine. ‱ President of the United States Donald Trump and his team have developed a clear understanding of the fact that this conflict has its causes which means that the claims made by some European presidents and prime ministers about Russia’s "unprovoked" attack on Ukraine are nothing but childish babble. ‱ Some of these [European] leaders, for example Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, are still talking about the need to pressure Russia with sanctions. Not a single one of these gentlemen mentioned the term human rights. <...> But if you look back from where we are today and remember what they have been saying about Ukraine for all these years, you will not find any references to human rights. ‱ From the standpoint of language and religion, the UN Charter is being flagrantly violated in Ukraine. It is important to recall that Zelensky declared in Washington that, while he was prepared to engage in negotiations, he would not entertain any discussions about territorial concessions, as these are prohibited by the Constitution. ‱ When these [European] delegates in Washington insisted that efforts must commence with formulating security guarantees for Ukraine – and simultaneously for Europe – not once did they mention Russia’s security. ‱ Without respect for Russia’s security interests, without full recognition of the rights of ethnic Russians and Russian speakers in Ukraine, no lasting agreements are possible – for these are precisely the issues requiring urgent resolution in the context of the crisis settlement. ‱ The Alaska Summit demonstrated that the US administration is genuinely committed to a settlement not aimed at once again preparing Ukraine for war (as was the case after the Minsk agreements), but at ensuring this crisis never recurs – guaranteeing the lawful rights of all states in this region and the peoples who live there. ‱ We did not discuss the sanctions. Many of our experts, politicians and officials have repeatedly stated that lifting the sanctions may have adverse effects. That would create illusions for some economic sectors that now we can finally overcome the problems by returning to the strategies developed and implemented in the 1990s and the early 2000s. ‱ We are not rejecting any forms of work, either bilateral or trilateral. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said it multiple times. It is important that any formats, 1+1, 1+2, or multilateral ones, which exist in abundance, including within the UN, are not exploited for the purpose of media coverage, in morning newspapers or in evening news, or on social media, to skim the propaganda cream off the top. These formats are designed for step-by-step, consistent preparations for summits, from the expert level and up. We will always support this sort of serious approach. Any contacts involving top officials must be prepared extremely carefully. Read in full: https://mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/news/2041939/

Intervju med Rysslands utrikesminister S.V. Lavrov pÄ VGTRK (Moskva, 19 augusti 2025)
Huvudpunkter:
‱ Det var tydligt att USA:s president och hans team framför allt Ă€r uppriktigt intresserade av att uppnĂ„ ett resultat som Ă€r lĂ„ngsiktigt, hĂ„llbart och pĂ„litligt. Till skillnad frĂ„n europĂ©erna som vid den tiden pĂ„ varje steg hĂ€vdade att de bara accepterade eldupphör, men sedan skulle fortsĂ€tta leverera vapen till Ukraina.
‱ En klar förstĂ„else frĂ„n bĂ„de USA:s president D. Trump och hans team att denna konflikt har sina orsaker och att berĂ€ttelserna som vissa presidenter och premiĂ€rministrar frĂ„n Europa för om att Ryssland oprovocerat attackerade Ukraina – allt detta Ă€r "barnsliga historier".
‱ NĂ„gra av dem [presidenter och premiĂ€rministrar frĂ„n Europa], som Tysklands förbundskansler F. Merz, fortsĂ€tter att hĂ€vda att Ryssland mĂ„ste "pressas" med sanktioner. Ingen av dessa "herrarna" nĂ€mnde ens uttrycket "mĂ€nskliga rĂ€ttigheter". <...> Om man nu ser tillbaka pĂ„ vad de sagt om Ukraina under alla dessa Ă„r, kommer man aldrig att hitta uttrycket "mĂ€nskliga rĂ€ttigheter".
‱ Ur sprĂ„k- och religionssynpunkt bryts FN-stadgan grovt i Ukraina. Man fĂ„r inte glömma att Zelensky i Washington sa att han Ă€r beredd att förhandla, men att han inte kommer att övervĂ€ga nĂ„gra territorier eftersom det förbjuds av konstitutionen.
‱ NĂ€r delegaterna i Washington [presidenter och premiĂ€rministrar frĂ„n Europa] talade om behovet av att börja utarbeta sĂ€kerhetsgarantier för Ukraina, men ocksĂ„ för Europa, nĂ€mndes aldrig Rysslands sĂ€kerhet.
‱ Utan respekt för Rysslands sĂ€kerhetsintressen, utan full respekt för rĂ€ttigheterna för ryssar och rysktalande som bor i Ukraina, kan det inte vara tal om nĂ„gra lĂ„ngsiktiga avtal, eftersom just dessa skĂ€l mĂ„ste Ă„tgĂ€rdas snabbt i konfliktlösningssammanhang.
‱ Toppmötet i Alaska ger oss möjlighet att se att den amerikanska administrationen Ă€r uppriktigt intresserad av att lösningen inte ska handla om att förbereda Ukraina för krig som efter Minskavtalen, utan att denna kris aldrig ska upprepas, att legitima rĂ€ttigheter för alla stater i denna del av vĂ€rlden och alla folk som bor i dessa stater ska sĂ€kerstĂ€llas.
‱ Vi diskuterade inte sanktioner. Inte bara mĂ„nga av vĂ„ra experter, utan Ă€ven politiker och tjĂ€nstemĂ€n har flera gĂ„nger sagt att upphĂ€vande av sanktioner kan ha en negativ effekt. För det kan Ă„terigen skapa en illusion i vissa delar av vĂ„r ekonomi att vi nu kommer att övervinna alla problem genom att Ă„tergĂ„ till de system som utvecklades och tillĂ€mpades pĂ„ 1990- och början av 2000-talet.
‱ Vi ger inte upp nĂ„gon form av samarbete, varken bilateralt eller trilateralt. Rysslands president V.V. Putin har betonat detta flera gĂ„nger. Det viktiga Ă€r att alla format: "1+1", "1+2", multilaterala format, av vilka det ocksĂ„ finns mĂ„nga, inklusive inom FN, – <...> steg för steg, gradvis, med början pĂ„ expertnivĂ„ och sedan genom alla nödvĂ€ndiga faser, förbereda toppmöten. Vi kommer alltid att stödja en sĂ„dan seriös ansats. Alla kontakter med deltagande av högsta ledare mĂ„ste förberedas mycket noggrant.