Lavrov said that Russia has no intention of stopping the war
Russia has no intention of ending the war against Ukraine and will continue to insist on the fulfillment of the demands that Vladimir Putin set forth back in the summer of 2024. This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. These are conditions that Ukraine has repeatedly called unacceptable, as they effectively amount to the country’s surrender.
According to the Russian minister, Moscow has not changed its objectives in the war and will continue military operations until they are achieved. “The president has clearly confirmed that we will continue to pursue the goals that were set back in June 2024 during Vladimir Putin’s speech at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” Lavrov said.
He did not specify any new conditions but referred specifically to Putin’s speech, which the Russian authorities still consider the basis of their position on ending the war. During that speech in June 2024, the Russian president put forward a series of demands to Ukraine. In particular, he stated that Ukrainian troops must completely withdraw from the territories of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, which Russia has incorporated into its Constitution, even though it does not fully control them.
Putin also demanded that Ukraine officially recognize Crimea and the four partially occupied regions as Russian. In addition, the Kremlin’s demands included Ukraine’s refusal to join NATO, as well as so-called “demilitarization” and “denazification.” The Russian authorities have been using these exact terms since the start of the full-scale invasion, though their meaning has never been officially and clearly explained.
At the time, Putin stated that once these conditions were met, Russia would “immediately” order a ceasefire and begin the negotiation process. Ukraine has repeatedly stated that it will not accept such ultimatums. Kyiv emphasizes that any negotiations are possible only without demands to cede territory or restrict Ukrainian sovereignty.
Lavrov’s latest statement indicates that Moscow’s official position remains unchanged. The Russian authorities continue to link the end of the war not to compromise or negotiations, but to the fulfillment of demands that the Kremlin articulated more than two years ago. Sergey Lavrov made this statement during a joint press conference with Mozambique’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maria Lukash.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine is now entering a critical phase of the war. According to him, Russia no longer has the upper hand on the battlefield, and the main tool remaining at Vladimir Putin’s disposal is ballistic weapons.
