OMM Newsroom
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday that European officials who travelled to Abu Dhabi could “sit in the hotel” while Russia, Ukraine and the United States hold trilateral talks, Anadolu Agency reported.
Speaking at a news conference in Moscow after a joint meeting of foreign and defence ministers and security council secretaries of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Lavrov suggested European officials would not take part directly in the negotiations.
“As for the participation of the Europeans, well, they flew to Abu Dhabi. Let them sit there in the hotel,” he said.
Talks to address regional security
Lavrov said the discussions would cover collective security in the region and guarantees that would take effect after a comprehensive settlement, under a US proposal accepted by Moscow.
“At the proposal of the American side, agreed with us, issues of ensuring collective security in this region will be discussed, with guarantees that will come into force after a full, comprehensive settlement is reached,” he said.
He called this a key difference between the current US administration and that of former President Joe Biden, which, he said, “arrogantly refused even to discuss collective security guarantees” and avoided dialogue.
Lavrov said the talks, proposed by US mediators, were intended to discuss the future security architecture of Ukraine, Russia and the broader region, which he described as European security.
He said European countries were seeking an immediate ceasefire, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had argued that the future security architecture should not be discussed before a lasting ceasefire.
Lavrov accused the European Union of trying “to buy time” for Ukraine to restore military losses. “We will not agree to this,” he said.
Lavrov alleges European drills simulate deployment to Ukraine
Lavrov claimed that European countries were rehearsing a possible troop deployment to Ukraine during military exercises in Poland.
“Europe’s plan is very simple, and they do not hide it: as soon as there is a ceasefire, they bring ‘stabilization forces’ onto the territory controlled by the Kyiv regime,” he said.
He claimed that around a dozen EU countries had begun the exercises alongside the Abu Dhabi talks, with approximately 2,000 personnel so far taking part in drills simulating a deployment to Ukraine.
On US-Russia relations, Lavrov said Moscow had no illusions about the Trump administration but believed dialogue was preferable to confrontation, despite what he called deep disagreements over the future of international politics.
He said he hoped Washington would remain committed to discussing security guarantees and achieving “an honest balance of interests, when no one’s security is infringed.”
Asked about US President Donald Trump’s statement that Washington was no longer considering military action against Iran, Lavrov said he hoped that position would hold.
