Russian Minister Lavrov threatened that he would take action against Ukraine

WAR-REPORT: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that any discussions on security guarantees for Ukraine without Moscow’s participation are a “road to nowhere,” effectively demanding that Russia hold veto power over future Western commitments to Kyiv’s defense.

Lavrov warned that Russia would take “firm and harsh” measures to ensure its “legitimate interests” are reflected in any postwar security arrangement. His remarks signal that Moscow remains opposed to Western-led security guarantees for Ukraine and is instead pushing for a return to proposals first outlined during the 2022 Istanbul talks.

The Istanbul framework, which Russia continues to cite as a model, would have permanently barred Ukraine from joining NATO, restricted its military capacity, and prohibited Western arms transfers without limitations on Russian forces. It also envisioned Russia serving as a so-called “guarantor state” alongside the other permanent members of the UN Security Council—an arrangement that critics argue would leave Ukraine exposed to future Russian aggression while allowing Moscow and Beijing to block any meaningful Western response.

Lavrov said the Istanbul draft represented “truly reliable” collective security guarantees, contrasting it with Western proposals that he claimed ignored Russian interests. Analysts note that Moscow’s insistence on these terms effectively seeks to tie Ukraine’s hands while legitimizing Russia’s role as both aggressor and arbiter.

The foreign minister also addressed prospects for renewed peace talks. He said President Vladimir Putin remains open to negotiations with Ukraine under the Istanbul format but suggested that any leader-level summit between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would require extensive preparation. Since February 2025, Russian and Ukrainian delegations have met three times in Istanbul, producing limited results beyond nine prisoner-of-war exchanges.

Lavrov’s comments come days after former U.S. President Donald Trump urged Putin and Zelensky to hold an urgent bilateral meeting, warning that delays could cost “thousands of lives.” According to U.S. officials, Putin privately told Trump he was prepared to meet Zelensky after an August 18 multilateral summit involving the United States, Ukraine, and European leaders.

However, Lavrov’s emphasis on working groups and prolonged talks under the Istanbul mechanism suggests the Kremlin is not moving toward a swift leader-level meeting. Instead, observers say Moscow is attempting to prolong negotiations while shifting responsibility for delays onto Kyiv and its Western partners.