Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov shared on Monday that his country has rejected a proposal for peace with Ukraine that was brought forth by President-elect Donald Trump’s allies.
During an interview with Russian state-run media outlet TASS, Lavrov shared that Moscow had “not received any official signals regarding a settlement in Ukraine” as the proposals were all unofficial ideas.
Still, he shared that what they had heard would not be accepted.
“We are not happy, of course, with the proposals made by members of the Trump team to postpone Ukraine’s admission to NATO for 20 years and to station British and European peacekeeping forces in Ukraine,” he said, referencing leaked reports of Trump’s proposals.
Instead, Lavrov said that any proposals for peace should be “reliable and legally binding agreements that would eliminate the root causes of the conflict and seal a mechanism precluding the possibility of their violation.”
Trump himself has not released any official proposal to end the war in Ukraine. Earlier this month, he discussed the work that would need to be done to end the fighting, saying it would be more difficult than stopping the conflict in the Middle East.
During his campaign, he had said he would end the war in Ukraine by the time he takes office. He also said it would end within 24 hours of him returning to the White House.
The president-elect shed more light on his efforts during a recent Time Magazine interview, saying he wouldn’t release his proposal because it would become a “worthless plan” if made public.
Still, he said he would not abandon Ukraine, despite fears that he would give up parts of the country that have been invaded by Russia.
“I want to reach an agreement, and the only way you’re going to reach an agreement is not to abandon,” Trump said in the interview.
Solutions from Trump may include ending Ukraine’s bid to join NATO, something Russia has been adamantly against for years, fearing the spread of European and US influence on its borders.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has continuously pushed for NATO membership despite fears of what Russia would do in response to the action.
Lavrov said in his interview that Russia would “refuse to accept Ukraine’s NATO membership regardless of the territorial factor.”
While many continue to call for peace as the war nears the start of its third year, Putin has alleged that Ukraine has thwarted its efforts to end the war. He has also said he is open to meeting with Trump calling for “lasting peace.”
However, Lavrov says the relationship between the US and Russia was damaged, and repairing it would “not be that simple.”
“Even if Trump tries to relaunch bilateral ties, he will have to swim against the stream, considering the current bipartisan consensus on the policy of deterring Russia,” Lavrov said. “We’ll see what happens next. If the Americans respect our interests, our dialogue will be gradually renewed. If not, everything will remain as it is.”