Lavrov: Ukraine's security must be guaranteed by an international group including Security Council members

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview published on Sunday that Ukraine's security must be guaranteed by an international group that includes members of the United Nations Security Council, along with other countries such as Germany and Turkey, as part of a comprehensive settlement of the ongoing conflict.

In statements to "NBC News", Lavrov noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the issue of security guarantees for Ukraine with his American counterpart Donald Trump, citing the Istanbul talks in 2022 that did not achieve their intended goals.

According to informed sources quoted by "Reuters", Putin is demanding that Ukraine fully cede the Donbas region in the east of the country, abandon joining NATO, in addition to military neutrality and not allowing Western forces on its territory.

Lavrov emphasized that Ukraine must be a neutral and non-nuclear state, and not engaged in any military bloc, adding that Moscow considers Ukraine's NATO membership unacceptable and is keen to protect Russian speakers within Ukrainian territory.

The Russian minister also pointed to the necessity of having direct discussions with Ukraine regarding the status of territories, referring to disputed areas such as Donbas and Crimea, stressing that any settlement must take into account Russian security interests.