Sergey Lavrov: “Our negotiating team remains committed to continuing contacts in any formats. They know what they are doing”

Photo: TV-screen

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s answers to media questions.

Moscow, January 29, 2026

Question: How can you explain the decision to hold these talks without the United States?

Sergey Lavrov: The President’s Press Secretary, Dmitry Peskov, has already said that unlike the Ukrainians and the Americans, we do not comment on talks if they must take place in a confidential and private setting.

Those trying to make all sorts of statements on what is being discussed and who promised what and to whom are treating the negotiating practices in a somewhat negligent manner and are demonstrating a certain level of indecency.

Question: The United States and Ukraine have been talking percentages, saying that the deal is 90 percent ready. What about the overall situation?

Sergey Lavrov: Do you believe this is the way to have a serious conversation?

Question: This does not ring true to me.

Sergey Lavrov: What is the total for measuring these 90 percent?

Question: The overall package of agreements, I guess, represents the whole 100 percent.

Sergey Lavrov: The President set our vision for this package of agreements in June 2024 and has since reaffirmed our commitment to it several times. Our negotiating team remains committed to continuing contacts in any formats. They know what they are doing. I have no doubt that the media will be informed about these developments when everything becomes clear.

Question: Mr Lavrov, why is there all this trust in the military, rather than politicians or diplomats? Why the military?

Sergey Lavrov: Why do you think that is?

Question: Is that because we are dealing with political matters?

Sergey Lavrov: President Vladimir Putin has outlined the political matters and what he said remains relevant. I will leave all the rest to our Ukrainian and American colleagues who have made so many statements over the past few days.

For example, I heard that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was invited to the Senate where he said that security guarantees were a done deal. We do not know what kind of guarantees they agreed upon but everything points to the fact that they are talking about offering guarantees to the very Ukrainian regime that is pursuing a Russia-hating, neo-Nazi policy.

If their aim consists of preserving the regime within a certain part of what used to be Ukraine’s territory and persisting with their efforts to reshape it as an outpost for threatening the Russian Federation, you can probably guess that these security guarantees would likely fail to bring about lasting peace.

We did agree on security guarantees back in April 2022 in Istanbul. Moreover, it was Ukraine which submitted the draft setting forth these guarantees. We supported this proposal. It was only later, as you know, that then UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that they should not sign the corresponding agreement, even if it was already initialed. Those security guarantees provided for collective and indivisible security, including for the Russian Federation and the entire region surrounding Ukraine.

We will proceed from the actual proposals instead of responding to the publicity stunts which have been stirring so much excitement in the media.

read more in our Telegram-channel https://t.me/The_International_Affairs