Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticized what he called “clumsy attempts” by European leaders to influence US President Donald Trump's position on Ukraine. "We only see a tense escalation of the situation and clumsy attempts to change the US president's position. We haven't heard any constructive ideas from the European side," Lavrov said, referring to the August 18 meeting at the White House between Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and European leaders.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, USA, 15/8. Photo: AFP

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, USA, 15/8. Photo: AFP

Lavrov stated that Russia supports reliable security guarantees for Ukraine but hopes the US understands that security discussions without Moscow's involvement are "futile." He added, "We cannot endorse proposals to resolve collective security issues without Russia. That won't be effective."

The Russian foreign minister also emphasized that the US is increasingly understanding the "root causes" of the Ukraine conflict.

Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and President Vladimir Putin's special representative for international investment and economic cooperation, also accused European leaders of "trying to sabotage peace talks and efforts to normalize relations between Moscow and Washington."

The NATO secretary general, the president of the European Commission, and leaders from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Finland, and President Zelensky met with President Trump at the White House on 18/8 to discuss ways to end the conflict in Ukraine.

The NATO secretary general described the meeting as "successful". While differences remain, European leaders appeared to have somewhat shifted Trump's perspective after several hours of discussion.

Although Trump didn't make any firm commitments, his openness to the idea of security guarantees for Ukraine could signal a significant shift in his approach, according to CNN. Trump has frequently pledged to keep the US out of foreign conflicts, and some members of his cabinet have even advocated for Washington to drastically reduce its support for Ukraine.

Huyen Le (AFP, Reuters, TASS)