Russia rejects any possibility of returning to the 1991 borders regarding the future of Ukraine, with the country's Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, signaling that reality has now changed, with the people and regions currently under Russian territorial control forming an integral part of the equation. At the same time, Lavrov appears particularly positive toward the stance of the American administration, arguing that Washington recognizes the "realities on the ground" and that the issue of Ukraine joining NATO membership status is essentially closed.
This position stands in direct opposition to European insistence on restoring the 1991 borders and shows how differently Moscow, Washington, and Europe now perceive the prospect of a peace deal consensus for Ukraine. However, of particular interest is the intervention of Ukrainian MP Anna Skorokhod, who argued that the terms brought to Kyiv by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are even worse than previous proposals rejected by Ukraine. She spoke of demands affecting even the country's constitution and territories, raising new questions about what exactly sits on the table in backchannel diplomatic talks.
Witkoff and Kushner talks with Putin
In greater detail, Lavrov commented on the talks between US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the resolution of the Ukrainian war crisis, responding to a question from American analyst Andrew Napolitano on the show "Bolshaya Igra" ("Great Game"). "A fairly large part of the start of these talks was broadcast on television—specifically the president's words, the response from Witkoff and Kushner, and then detailed commentary was provided by presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, who participated in the discussion. And in our diplomatic tradition, we limit ourselves to what we decided to make public.I do not want to imitate those who now begin to speculate about what exactly they brought to Moscow and what they subsequently transferred to Kyiv," the minister stated.
Lavrov noted that a female lawmaker in the Verkhovna Rada stated that what Witkoff and Kushner brought is much worse than what Ukraine had already rejected. "Speculation is taking place," stressed the head of Russian foreign diplomacy. "Therefore, regarding subsequent diplomatic steps, the American side says nothing, while the French have already stated from the Élysée that 'we were there,' and the Americans said that after the elections for the State Duma, direct peace negotiations involving the United States will definitely resume. I leave all this to the conscience of the Élysée, especially since it has already distinguished itself repeatedly for less-than-ethical behavior regarding the contents of telephone and other conversations."
The US positions
According to Lavrov, "the essence of what was discussed is based on the position that US President Donald Trump first articulated immediately after returning to the Oval Office regarding Ukraine." "First, he said that they should even forget trying to integrate Ukraine into the North Atlantic Alliance. He said this was clear long before Vladimir Putin. The issue is closed and there is no need to try to revive it. And the second element of the United States' position is the recognition of frontline battlefield realities," the minister explained. The head of Russian diplomacy particularly emphasized that "it is not about territory." "Some say: 'Russia has already seized some areas there, so let us stop where we are now.' It is not about territory," he stated. "When we speak about realities, we speak about people who, immediately after the February 2014 coup, were characterized as subhuman, creatures, terrorists, and against whom—when they rejected the results of the illegal coup—the military, warplanes, and artillery were deployed, which is strictly prohibited by international humanitarian law, people whom they did not consider human."
Lavrov also recalled that then-President-elect and soon President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko had stated in 2014: "Our children, the children of real Ukrainians, will go to clean schools and kindergartens, while the children of those living in the Donbas will rot in basements." "And how do the Europeans expect to return these people under the authority of a regime when they demand the restoration of the 1991 borders, simply to hand the territories over to Nazis?" the minister questioned. "Or do they want to punish these people because they wanted to preserve their freedom, their culture, their inclusion in the Russian world concept?"
Realities on the ground
Lavrov noted that Trump and his team recognized the realities on the ground and, as far as Russia can judge, continue to recognize them. "That was also the case in Alaska," he clarified. "These realities on the ground are connected with the people, with their opinion, which was expressed in the referendums in Crimea as well as in the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, and of course in the Zaporizhzhia Kherson regions. And the fact that the Americans, in all their contacts with us, and above all in their contacts with President Putin, proceed from these realities, certainly evokes a positive response from us and creates a willingness to continue talking with them." "They recognize these core things and try to be useful around them. And I consider this worthy of support," concluded the head of the Russian foreign ministry.
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