Lavrov says Europe has no role in Ukraine peace talks as leaders push for a US backstop

# Lavrov says Europe has no role in Ukraine peace talks as leaders push for a US backstop

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Europe has no place in any peace negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. His remark came as European leaders gathered in Paris and the debate intensified over what a possible settlement would require.

The BBC live coverage in the packet places Lavrov's comment alongside a broader push from European leaders for firm security guarantees. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said there must be a US backstop for any lasting peace agreement, arguing that only a US security guarantee could effectively deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also stressed that Europe and the United States must work together.

Lavrov's position reflects Moscow's long-running effort to shape talks on its own terms. The live report says he was speaking before heading to Saudi Arabia for talks on Ukraine with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky was also in Saudi Arabia this week, though he said he was not involved in the US-Russia talks.

The timing matters. The report says European leaders were meeting in Paris in response to concern that the United States might reduce its role in Europe's defence. That concern has driven renewed discussion of military spending, alliance commitments and the practical shape of any future peacekeeping presence.

Tusk told reporters that Europe must immediately boost its defences because it is not able to counter Russia's military potential at current levels. He warned that if Europe does not spend now, it could later be forced to spend much more to prevent a wider war. Starmer, meanwhile, described the moment as a once-in-a-generation test for Europe's collective security.

The BBC's live blog also notes the military realities on the ground. Fighting in Ukraine has continued since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, with Russian forces gaining ground more quickly over the past year than at any point since the invasion began. That battlefield context helps explain why European capitals are treating any diplomatic opening as both urgent and uncertain.

The evidence in the packet does not show any agreement between the parties, only competing demands and sharply different views of who should be at the table. Russia is trying to limit Europe's role. Europe, at least publicly, is trying to ensure that it is not excluded from decisions that would shape its own security.

That conflict over participation may prove as difficult as the war itself. For now, Lavrov's message is clear: Moscow sees Europe as irrelevant to the talks. The response from European leaders is the opposite: no durable settlement will be possible unless Europe and the United States act together.