Lavrov Dismisses Ceasefire: Is Russia Doubling Down? – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov this week ruled out a ceasefire in Ukraine, dismissing a U.S.-led effort for a 30-day truce as a Western ploy, describing it as a matter of “let’s have a ceasefire and then we’ll see.”
“We have already been in these stories, we don’t want this anymore,” Lavrov said on May 21, making reference to previous failed negotiations with Kyiv.
Russia has previously rejected ceasefires on the basis that any such move could theoretically allow Ukrainian forces to regroup and rearm.
The comments come only days after U.S. President Donald Trump proposed a full ceasefire, which Ukraine accepted. European allies endorsed the plan, but Russian President Vladimir Putin again refused during a May 19 call with the president. Reports revealed that President Trump told European leaders after the call that Putin still believes that he is winning the war and is “not ready for peace.”
While Russia did send a delegation to Istanbul for the May 16 peace talks, the notable absence of high-level officials cast doubt on the seriousness of Russia’s claims to be open to negotiations. During the discussions, the Russian delegation reportedly repeated maximalist demands, including Ukrainian recognition of its 2014 annexation of Crimea and full control of occupied eastern regions of Ukraine, both of which Ukraine still rejects.
A Ceasefire Could Still Happen in Ukraine
In April 2023, during a visit to Turkey, Lavrov dismissed ongoing efforts to negotiate peace between the two countries, stressing that negotiations should instead focus on creating a “new world order” that counters U.S. dominance. Lavrov said that negotiations must be based on principles that first consider Russian interests and concerns, not Ukraine’s.
In September of that same year, however, Lavrov indicated that Russia was ready to make agreements on Ukraine, as long as a deal took Russian security interests into account. Specifically, Lavrov said that a deal would need to prevent the creation of a hostile regime near Russian borders. It was, in some ways, a form of backtracking – but Lavrov did once again reject a ceasefire before a negotiation was agreed.
“Our position remains the same: we are ready to make agreements provided that the current situation on the ground is taken into account, as well as our position that everyone is well aware of and our security interests, including the need to prevent the creation of a hostile Nazi regime near Russian borders, which is openly declaring the goal to eliminate all things Russian in the areas in Crimea and Novorossiya that Russian people have been exploring and developing for centuries,” Lavrov said at the time.
Earlier in the conflict, during the lead-up to the Minsk II negotiations in 2015, Lavrov expressed skepticism over a ceasefire in the Donbas region, citing concerns about Ukrainian compliance and a lack of security guarantees for Russian-backed separatists.
Despite those reservations, Russia ultimately signed on to the Minsk II agreement, which outlined a ceasefire and a roadmap toward peace in eastern Ukraine. While implementation faltered, with both Ukraine and Russian-backed separatists accusing each other of violations, the deal marked a notable shift from Moscow’s earlier resistance.
Lavrov’s latest comments may not, therefore, rule out the possibility of a future ceasefire. They do, however, offer insight into the Kremlin’s thinking and strategic posture, even after Putin’s call with Trump; in which he signaled interest in upcoming in-person talks.
About the Author:
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. His latest book is The Truth Teller: RFK Jr. and the Case for a Post-Partisan Presidency.
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