Moscow: Russian Overseas Minister, Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday criticised the position of European leaders to resolve Safety Ensures with out Moscow’s involvement, terming it a “street to nowhere” whereas sounding an alarm to Ukraine’s allies, who’re concerned in “a reasonably aggressive escalation of the state of affairs, slightly clumsy and, typically, unethical makes an attempt” to vary President Trump’s outlook on Kyiv.
Lavrov evaded any direct reference to the Putin-Zelensky assembly. “Russia by no means exaggerates its pursuits. However, will guarantee its authentic pursuits firmly and harshly. I’m positive that the West, and above all of the US, understands completely nicely that significantly discussing safety points with out the Russian Federation is a utopia,” he acknowledged.
It could be recalled that in April 2022, Russia and Ukraine negotiated Safety Ensures as a part of the Istanbul Settlement, the framework for a settlement. Safety Ensures or some kind of Safety Assurances from a set of nations together with Russia as a impartial Safety Guarantor state in Ukraine needs to be protected inside its territory after the struggle. China and Russia being guarantors and the members of UN Safety Council can use veto energy to Russian aggression. The Safety Ensures anticipated no deployment of overseas troops on Ukrainian soil, non-conduct of navy workout routines with out the consent of every guarantor.
That is what Russia has in thoughts and the current Safety Ensures go far past. It means some kind of alliance between Ukraine and European international locations, with out Ukraine becoming a member of NATO. That is fully unacceptable to Russia. All sides has been telling what both sides needed to listen to, significantly Ukraine, the US and European international locations. Russia wouldn’t settle for any European Safety Ensures from Keir Starmer or from Emmanuel Macron.
Publish-Monday’s assembly between President Donald Trump with Zelensky together with seven European leaders in Washington, Trump mentioned with Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban on August 19, Budapest because the credible venue for the bilateral summit involving Putin and Zelensky. Hungary has supplied to host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Potential areas like Budapest, Geneva, Vienna, Istanbul, Riyadh and Doha have emerged for the bilateral in addition to trilateral conferences.
The message from Trump to the eight European leaders, together with Zelensky, was simple and truthful. Trump informed Fox Information, “I assume you’ve all seen the map. An enormous chunk of territory is taken and that chunk of territory has been taken.” In numerous methods, the Russia-Ukraine struggle symbolized Russia’s struggle towards NATO expansionism. It’s Trump who has pushed Russia and Ukraine to finish the struggle. The origins of the Russia-Ukraine struggle might be traced to the historic, cultural and political ties which have certain and divided Russia and Ukraine over centuries.
Trump needs to speed up the timeline of those conferences. For the assembly location, the White Home is pro-actively searching for a impartial venue. Trump in the meantime, has dominated out placing American boots on the Ukrainian soil as a Safety Assure measure, however talked about that American air help may be supplied as a part of the deal. In an interview with the “Fox and Pals” programme of Fox Information, Trump underscored “Relating to Safety, (Europeans) are prepared to place folks on the bottom. We’re prepared to assist them with issues, particularly, in all probability by air.” Russia itself would offer Safety Ensures to Ukraine.
In an interview with Fox Information on Wednesday, the US Vice-President, J D Vance famous, “I believe we needs to be useful if it’s essential to cease the struggle and to cease the killing. However I believe that we should always count on, and the president actually expects, Europe to play the main position right here.” Vance reiterated that the US shouldn’t should “carry the burden” of supporting and sustaining Kyiv’s post-war safety. With Trump and the US disengaging, the position of Europe turns into extra necessary to proceed to help Ukraine. Many within the EU don’t appear to grasp that not solely Ukraine, however Russia can be a part of Europe. NATO and the EU are operating a propaganda struggle. However Russia’s struggle on Ukraine is bigger in scale and has far deeper penalties for Europe.
As Trump’s diplomatic strikes command to halt the Russia-Ukraine struggle, the backers of Zelensky, the European leaders are sabotaging the peace deal or the peace plan. Centrists in three highly effective international locations of Europe, France, Germany and the UK are creating troublesome occasions for inside governance by fomenting struggle scares. Centrists are determined and their insurance policies are ineffectual. Europe’s New Proper or European New Proper (ENR) have skepticism in the direction of the EU and show alignment and sympathy with Russia. Apparently, ENR’s practical and constructive insurance policies in the direction of Russia will likely be convincing.
Individually, a day earlier than the assembly between Trump, Zelensky and European leaders on Monday, Ukrainian drones struck the Nikolskoye oil pumping station within the Druzhba oil pipeline in Russia’s Tambov area. Ukraine deliberately attacked the Nikolskoye oil pumping station. Russian crude oil flows to Hungary and Slovakia via the Druzhba oil pipeline which was halted on Monday. The strike on the Nikolskoye oil pumping station was the second Ukrainian assault.
Ukrainian drone strikes frequently hit Russian refineries making them totally or partly offline. Russian gasoline costs have surged and refineries had been broken after a slew of Ukrainian drone assaults similar to, Syzran, Volgograd, Slavyansk, Afpisky, Ilsky, Saratov, Novokuibyshevsk, Ryazan, oil depot in Sochi and Uniecha oil pumping station within the Druzhba oil pipeline system in Russia’s Bryansk area.
Not like many different European international locations, Hungary and Slovakia have maintained reliance on Russian power via the Druzhba oil pipeline. Final yr, Russia provided 4.78 million metric tonnes or almost 95,000 bpd of oil to Hungary by way of the Druzhba oil pipeline. In accordance with the Hungarian authorities figures, in 2024, Ukraine imported 7704×1014 watt of electrical energy, which is round 40 per cent of Ukraine’s complete wants. Moreover in 2025, Ukraine imported 1.65 bcm of pure fuel from Hungary. Western allies of Ukraine are pissed off over Hungary blocking Ukraine’s entry into the EU. The EU is now exploring methods to bypass Budapest’s obstruction. Notably, forward of the Putin-Trump assembly in Anchorage, Orban had already declared that “Russia has gained the struggle”. Hungary has refused to ship arms and weapons to Ukraine.
Clearly, if European international locations get extra concerned in Ukraine’s Safety Ensures, it is going to sign the continuation of the deadliest battle because the Second World Warfare.