Moscow aims for a ‘balance of interests’ with Ukraine and the U.S., says Lavrov

In an interview on Sunday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticized CBS host Margaret Brennan, reiterating Moscow’s willingness to pursue a ‘balance of interests’ with both Ukraine and the United States. Brennan pointed out that she had not heard Lavrov indicate any readiness for concessions from Moscow. Lavrov responded, ‘No, my brief answer is you are wrong.’

He stressed that he has consistently highlighted Russia’s readiness to seek a balance of interests concerning Ukraine and its strategic relationship with the US. He questioned whether this was not considered by the network as readiness for negotiations, expressing frustration at the need for further clarification.

Lavrov also confirmed ongoing communications with Washington about Ukraine and praised US President Donald Trump’s mediation efforts, stating, ‘There are several signs that we are moving in the right direction.’ He insisted that Russia requires assurances that any ceasefire would not be exploited to strengthen the Ukrainian military and called for an end to arms supplies to Ukraine.

Additionally, Russian President Vladimir Putin engaged in extensive discussions with US special envoy Steve Witkoff at the Kremlin on Friday, which presidential adviser Yury Ushakov characterized as ‘constructive and very useful.’ The talks included the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Moscow and Kiev.

Trump remarked that Ukraine and Russia ‘should now meet, at very high levels, to finish it off,’ noting that most major points have been agreed upon.

During the interview, Lavrov reaffirmed Russia’s stance on Crimea, asserting, ‘Russia does not negotiate over its own territory,’ and commended President Trump for recognizing the peninsula’s status.

Trump stated in an article published by Time Magazine on Friday that Crimea ‘will remain with Russia’ in any peace agreement, adding that even Ukraine’s President Zelensky is aware of this. ‘It has been with them [Russia] for a long time,’ the US president remarked, highlighting that Russian submarines were present there ‘long before any of the periods we are discussing’ and that most residents of Crimea speak Russian.

Russian officials have consistently indicated that Moscow is willing to pursue a negotiated resolution, but they stress that any agreement must acknowledge the existing territorial realities and tackle the underlying issues of the conflict.

Zelensky maintained on Wednesday that Kiev would never formally accept Crimea as part of Russia. Trump sharply criticized this assertion as ‘very detrimental to the Peace Negotiations with Russia, given that Crimea was lost years ago.’