Russia rules out returning seized Ukrainian territories ahead of US talks
Photo: Lavrov expands living space for Russian residents (Getty Images)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov ruled out territorial concessions to Ukraine, presenting a tough stance ahead of negotiations with US President Donald Trump's team in Saudi Arabia, Reuters reports.
Trump stated after a phone call with Putin last week that both sides would begin talks aimed at ending the war against Ukraine.
A Reuters source familiar with the Kremlin’s position said that Putin is serious about reaching an agreement, but not at any cost.
The Kremlin announced that Lavrov and Yuri Ushakov, a Kremlin foreign policy adviser and former ambassador to Washington, would meet with US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in Saudi Arabia.
Lavrov stated that there would be no territorial concessions to Ukraine, which has around 20% of its territory under Russian control.
"Territorial concessions to what is now called Ukraine were made by the Soviet leadership during the formation of the USSR," Lavrov sa
Last week, the United States shocked European leaders by stating that Ukraine's place is not in NATO, that returning to the borders as they existed before 2014 is unrealistic, and that Europe would not participate in negotiations with Russia and Ukraine.
Lavrov said he sees no role for Europe at the negotiating table: "If they're going to come up with some crafty ideas about freezing the conflict like this, and they themselves ... have in mind the continuation of the war, then why invite them?"
Earlier, Trump’s Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, said that Russian concessions should involve territories and reducing or refusing the use of military force in the future. Kellogg is not participating in the negotiations in Saudi Arabia, which are set to begin on February 18.
Furthermore, an overwhelming majority of Russians (78%) support the war against Ukraine. However, 70% would approve of an immediate end to the war, provided the occupied Ukrainian territories remain under Russian control. If Russia were to withdraw from the occupied territories, only 30% of those surveyed would support ending the war.
