Russia has sharply criticized ongoing Western efforts to secure Ukraine without its involvement, warning that sidelining Moscow would only worsen the conflict, reported by Al Jazeera News.
Speaking in Moscow on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said attempts to discuss collective security for Ukraine without Russia amounted to “a road to nowhere.”
“We cannot agree with the fact that it is proposed to resolve questions of security without the Russian Federation. This will not work,” Lavrov declared. “In the West, and above all in the United States, they perfectly understand that seriously discussing security issues without the Russian Federation is a utopia.”
His comments came two days after U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and several European leaders at the White House. The meeting followed Trump’s separate talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, part of his push to move both sides toward a negotiated settlement more than three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Lavrov insisted any summit between Putin and Zelenskyy must be carefully prepared “so the meeting does not lead to a deterioration of the situation.” He also accused European leaders of “clumsy attempts” to sway Trump’s stance on Ukraine, claiming they offered no “constructive ideas.”
Meanwhile, NATO military chiefs convened via video conference Wednesday to explore possible security guarantees for Kyiv. Thirty-two defense leaders, joined by U.S. General Alexus Grynkewich, discussed options for a multinational force that could support a future peace deal. The coalition now includes 30 nations, among them Japan and Australia, though Trump has ruled out sending American troops.
Adding to tensions, Poland reported that a Russian-made drone, believed to be a variant of Iran’s Shahed model, crashed overnight in a cornfield in the country’s east. Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz denounced it as “another provocation” by Moscow at a time when delicate peace talks are underway.
