Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that he is ready to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He also said that Russia will not back down from its main conditions to end the Ukraine war. US President Donald Trump’s efforts to end the war have not been successful so far. Last month, Trump suddenly canceled the meeting with Putin in Budapest.

According to the Kremlin, the meeting was canceled because Lavrov’s ministry indicated that Russia was unwilling to compromise on its demands. Lavrov said he and Rubio understand the importance of regular communication. He said that they talk on phone to discuss Ukraine issue and bilateral matters and are also ready to hold face-to-face meetings if necessary.

Russia occupies 19% of Ukraine’s territory

Russia has sent a large number of troops to Ukraine and has so far occupied about 19% of Ukraine. Russia considers these areas legally its own, while Ukraine and Western European countries will never recognize it.

Putin’s demands and Alaska agreement

Lavrov said that the agreements reached by Putin and Trump at the August 2024 Alaska Summit were based on Putin’s demands for June 2024 and the ideas of Trump’s representative Steve Witkoff. Putin had asked Ukraine in June 2024 to abandon plans to join NATO and withdraw troops from Donbass (Donetsk and Luhansk) and the southern Kherson and Zaporizhia provinces.

Russia currently occupies Crimea, almost all of Luhansk, 80% of Donetsk, 75% of Kherson and Zaporozhye and some parts. Ukrainian President Zelensky has considered recognizing some Russian-controlled areas temporarily, but not permanently.

Stranded assets and Russia’s warning

When Europe planned to use Russia’s 210 billion euros worth of frozen assets to help Ukraine, Lavrov said there was no legal way to do so and that Russia would retaliate if it did. He also said that the US is considering maintaining the New START arms agreement limits on Russia beyond February 2026.