Lavrov: Current Versions of Ukraine Agreement Have Distorted Original U.S. Proposal

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the conflict in Ukraine could have moved rapidly toward a settlement based on understandings reached at the Russian-American summit in Alaska, arguing that subsequent proposals had departed significantly from the original U.S. document.

In a televised interview, Lavrov said the Anchorage meeting produced approaches based on a U.S. initiative and American proposals that, in his view, “paved the way for peace,” adding that a final settlement could have been reached quickly on that basis.

Lavrov said U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff had visited Moscow before the Anchorage summit and delivered a document containing American proposals for resolving the Ukraine crisis.

According to Lavrov, the document addressed the central issues and proposed solutions that he said reflected “the reality on the ground,” linking those circumstances to Moscow’s stated justification for its military operations in Ukraine.

Lavrov said Russia had never officially or unofficially received what has been described as a “20-point peace plan,” and that only parts of its contents had appeared through media leaks.

Using particularly strong language, Lavrov described subsequent revisions as an attempt to “rape” the original American initiative by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and, especially, by his supporters in Britain, Germany, France and the Baltic states.

Lavrov said security remains a fundamental principle for Russia. He also criticized Ukrainian policies concerning the Russian language and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

According to Lavrov, the original U.S. proposal included provisions aimed at restoring the rights of Russian speakers and ethnic Russians as a national minority in Ukraine. He said more recent versions leaked to the media following intensive talks among U.S., European and Ukrainian officials no longer addressed the issue in the same way, referring instead to what he called “tolerance.”

Lavrov also criticized security guarantees being discussed by European countries and Ukraine without Russian participation, arguing that they were directed against Moscow.

He said Kyiv, in his characterization of its position, would not legally recognize changes on the ground but was prepared to halt military operations in practice in exchange for strong European security guarantees and the deployment of forces.

Lavrov also referred to media reports about security arrangements that could lead to the involvement of forces from NATO countries if certain incidents occurred, warning of the potential for provocations and escalation.

He reiterated that the objectives announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin for the war, which Putin outlined in greater detail in June 2024, remain unchanged from Moscow’s perspective.

Turning to the United Nations, Lavrov criticized the organization’s handling of the Ukraine conflict and its positions regarding Crimea and Donbas.

While acknowledging that there were grounds for criticizing the United Nations, Lavrov said the “Board of Peace” established by U.S. President Donald Trump to address the conflict in Gaza could not replace the international organization.