Russia denies accepting security guarantees for Kyiv, contradicts Ukrainian official
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on March 5 that Moscow had neither seen nor accepted any Western security guarantees for Kyiv, contradicting an earlier claim by a top Ukrainian official.
“We proceed from the understanding that we not only did not approve these guarantees — we have not even seen them,” Lavrov said, as cited by the Russian state news agency TASS.
Kyrylo Budanov, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff, said on Feb. 28 that Russia would accept U.S.-backed security guarantees for Ukraine. The President's Office did not respond to a request for comment.
"At past negotiations, the Russian side directly said that they would accept the security guarantees offered to Ukraine by the U.S.," Budanov said.
He added that Russia understands it may be "forced" to accept such guarantees.
Budanov's remarks came days after U.S. and Ukrainian officials met in Geneva on Feb. 26 as part of ongoing efforts to broker peace with Moscow. Russia did not participate in the talks.
The delegations reportedly discussed Ukraine's postwar recovery needs and plans for a subsequent round of negotiations that would include Russia.
As diplomatic efforts continue, Kyiv has maintained that strong, binding security guarantees from its partners — particularly the United States — are essential to any peace deal and to deterring a future Russian invasion.
It remains unclear what form those guarantees would take. Moscow has previously rejected proposals tied to Ukraine's security, including NATO membership or the deployment of European peacekeepers on Ukrainian territory — both seen as the strongest deterrents for future attacks. Russia has also sought security guarantees of its own.
