US Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggests security guarantees for Ukraine have been agreed, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reacts with outrage.
Security Guarantees for Ukraine
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, asked on January 28 whether Washington and Kyiv had agreed on security guarantees for Ukraine, stated: “I think one could argue that on our side they have been agreed.” According to Ukrinform, there is general agreement on the possible deployment of European troops with US support to provide these guarantees.
Rubio indicated that the disputed issue remains Donbas, which Russia demands as part of any agreement. He emphasized that any security guarantees would only take effect after the conflict concludes.
Lavrov’s Reaction
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov responded to Rubio’s statements the following day, expressing outrage. He claimed Russia has not yet reviewed the draft US-Ukraine agreements on security guarantees.
Lavrov suggested that Kyiv would not regain its occupied territories and stated: “If the goal is to maintain the regime on a certain part of the former Ukraine and turn it into a trampoline for creating threats to the Russian Federation, then one can guess that such security guarantees are difficult to recognize as confirmation of any safe measures.”
Russia’s Position
Later, Lavrov announced that Russia is ready to consider “real” security guarantee proposals as part of settling the situation in Ukraine. He stated: “We will consider real proposals and we will not rely on public games.”
