Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused Western governments and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of obstructing peace initiatives concerning the Ukraine conflict. His statement was made while giving an interview to Russia-1 TV on Sunday.
Lavrov accused Western powers of "looking for an excuse to avoid negotiations," while citing that Zelensky is "behaving stubbornly" by demanding a direct meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Chinese news agency Xinhua, quoting Russian media reports, reported Lavrov as saying European nations are trying to undermine progress made during negotiations between Putin and then-US President Donald Trump.
He referred to the diplomatic effort that started with the Putin–Trump meeting at the Alaska Summit as constructive. Lavrov said efforts to sabotage the process would finally be "thwarted."
Reminding of the summit, Lavrov pointed to Putin's description of the talks as "fruitful," citing how the Russian president had emphasized the need for "turning the page" and restoring cooperation between Moscow and Washington.
Lavrov also accused Zelensky of politicizing the conflict in order to divert attention from Ukraine's domestic issues, specifically bills against the Russian language and the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. He called these actions "gross violations of the UN Charter.
The Trump-Putin Alaska Summit happened on August 15, but no final deal was signed. Trump then met with Zelensky and various European leaders in Washington the next Monday.
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