Lavrov says the US administration recognizes the “need to eliminate the root causes” of the war in Ukraine to end it
According to Russia’s foreign minister, that understanding emerged after the summit in Alaska.
The administration of US President Donald Trump supposedly “understands” that ending the war in Ukraine requires “addressing its root causes,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, according to Russian state media.
“We see that the new administration in Washington also understands the need to resolve the crisis by recognizing its root causes and by taking actions that will eliminate those root causes,” said the minister of a country whose leadership is the primary cause of the war in Ukraine.
Lavrov claims that understanding emerged during a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
“There, the US administration’s understanding of the need to eliminate these root causes was clearly evident, including—President Trump publicly said this, I think the only one among Western and other leaders—that drawing Ukraine into NATO was a mistake that served as one of the causes of this conflict,” Lavrov claims.
Earlier, former NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said NATO should never under any circumstances discuss Ukraine’s membership with Putin. He also said that NATO membership would be the most effective and least costly way to guarantee Ukraine’s security.
In turn, current NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Russia has no right to bar Ukraine from joining NATO. He pointed to commitments that Ukraine will become a NATO member.
