'We don't want this anymore' — Russia rejects a ceasefire in Ukraine, Lavrov says

Russia rejects a ceasefire in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on May 21.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call on May 19 as Ukraine and its allies intensify efforts to end Russia's war. Putin rejected a ceasefire and instead insisted on negotiating a "memorandum regarding a potential future peace treaty."

Lavrov rejected the push to "have a truce and then we'll see," claiming that the "root causes" of Russia's war need to be resolved.

Lavrov accused European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, of pushing Trump to tighten sanctions against Russia.

"We have already been in these stories, we don’t want this anymore," Lavrov said, referring to negotiations between Moscow and Ukraine following the onset of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022.

Russia initiated peace talks with Ukraine, which took place on May 16, following Moscow's rejection of calls from Ukraine and its allies for an immediate ceasefire. The Kremlin claimed the negotiations would be a resumption of the 2022 peace negotiations.

In the 2022 peace talks and on May 16, Russian authorities issued maximalist demands to Ukraine. On May 14, Russia announced its delegation would consist of low-level officials, led by Putin's aide, Vladimir Medinsky.

Putin did not attend the Istanbul peace talks on May 16, despite an invitation from President Volodymyr Zelensky to meet him face-to-face.

Lavrov was also absent from the peace talks, signalling Russia's unwillingness to make progress at the Istanbul negotiations.

The talks were largely inconclusive. Russia reiterated maximalist demands, including that Ukraine accept the loss of Crimea and four eastern regions.

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