Europe has blown its chance to mediate Ukraine conflict – Lavrov

The Russian foreign minister said European governments’ poor track record on previous peace agreements undermines their credibility as negotiators

European countries have repeatedly failed to uphold agreements intended to resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, undermining their credibility as potential peace guarantors, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.

Moscow has previously stated that European officials would not participate in the upcoming US-brokered peace talks in Abu Dhabi.

Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in Atlanta, US, on Friday, Lavrov said “the Europeans want to insert themselves into the negotiation process.”

“What matters is not what the Europeans want, but what added value they can actually bring to the table,” he said.

Lavrov accused European governments of failing to uphold agreements intended to resolve the crisis, beginning with the February 2014 deal between then-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich and opposition leaders. France, Germany and Poland helped broker the agreement, which was intended to end months of protests and deadly clashes in Kiev. Yanukovich was ousted shortly afterward, an event Moscow maintains prompted Crimea to secede from Ukraine and join Russia, while also triggering a revolt in the largely Russian-speaking Donbass.

According to Lavrov, France and Germany also failed to ensure Ukraine implemented political reforms and granted special status to Donbass under the 2014–2015 Minsk agreements which they helped broker.

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Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former French President Francois Hollande acknowledged in separate interviews in December 2022 that the agreements had given Ukraine time to strengthen its military. Moscow has cited their remarks as evidence that Western governments never intended to implement the accords in good faith.

Lavrov also cited the December 2019 summit in Paris, where the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the Minsk agreements. The diplomatic process ultimately failed to produce a lasting settlement.

“Over the past 12 years, they have had more than enough opportunities. Through their actions, they have demonstrated that their track record cannot be ignored the next time they seek to act as ‘guarantors,’” Lavrov stated.

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His remarks followed a rare telephone conversation on Tuesday between Russian President Vladimir Putin, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store. The 90-minute call, which focused on the Ukraine conflict and upcoming peace negotiations, drew criticism from several European leaders. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the initiative had not been coordinated with other European countries, while Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said he had not been informed in advance.

Putin, however, welcomed the contact, describing the decision to call as a step towards establishing “some kind of constructive dialogue.”

Lavrov attended the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta at the invitation of the US, despite objections from some European governments to Russia’s participation. President Donald Trump has also invited Putin to the G20 leaders’ summit scheduled for December in Miami.

European opposition to Russia’s participation was evident on Friday when the traditional G20 group photograph was canceled after several European diplomats objected to posing alongside Lavrov.