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Russian FM Lavrov Sets New Peace Conditions, Merz Warns Moscow Is Buying Time
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has outlined the Kremlin’s preconditions for ending its war against Ukraine, tying the prospect of “lasting peace” to recognition of Moscow’s territorial claims and Ukraine’s permanent neutrality, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported on September 3.
In an interview with Indonesia’s Kompas newspaper, published on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website, Lavrov said that a settlement must include international legal recognition of what he called the “new territorial realities”—Russia’s occupation of Crimea, Sevastopol, the so-called “Donetsk and Luhansk ‘people’s republics” as well as occupied parts of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions following “referendums.”
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“Ukraine must be guaranteed neutral, non-bloc and non-nuclear status. These conditions were enshrined in Ukraine’s 1990 Declaration of State Sovereignty, and it was on this basis that Russia and the international community recognized Ukrainian statehood,” Lavrov said.
Lavrov’s remarks closely echoed Vladimir Putin’s earlier demands: recognition of Russia’s claimed territories, a halt to Western arms supplies, and Ukraine’s formal renunciation of NATO membership or any future military alliances.
German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz, speaking in an interview on the YouTube channel :newstime—a joint venture of three German broadcasters—warned that Putin is not serious about peace.
“Putin will only be ready for negotiations when it is to his advantage,” Mertz said, adding that the Russian leader currently sees war as beneficial because he is “conquering territories.”
Mertz argued that military means alone may not be enough to bring Russia to the table, but economic pressure could shift the balance.
“From a military perspective this will be difficult, but from an economic perspective it is possible. We must ensure that Russia has no ability to sustain its war economy,” the chancellor stressed.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Ukraine can only “exist” if it gives up the territories annexed by Moscow—an ultimatum echoing Putin’s reported demands to end the war.
