Lavrov Rejects Immediate Ukraine Ceasefire, Accusing Europe of Trying to Give Kyiv Time to Rebuild Its Military

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has rejected European demands for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, accusing Western governments of trying to give Kyiv time to rebuild its military rather than secure a lasting peace.

Speaking to reporters in Moscow on Tuesday, November 10, as U.S.-mediated peace talks began in Abu Dhabi, Lavrov insisted that Russia would not suspend military operations without knowing what would follow.

“Everything we hear now from Brussels and other European Union capitals amounts to a demand for an immediate ceasefire,” Lavrov said.

He argued that European governments were seeking to prolong the conflict by allowing Ukraine to recover from battlefield losses.

“They absolutely need to buy time for their clients in the Kyiv regime and use that time to somehow replenish the military losses it has suffered,” he said.

“We will not agree to that. This has been said repeatedly.”

Lavrov also rejected the prospect of another temporary pause in fighting without a broader political agreement.

“We will not agree to another truce, another ceasefire — whatever you want to call it — without understanding what comes next.”

The Russian foreign minister argued that negotiations should first establish the principles of a future European security framework before addressing a ceasefire and the terms of ending the war.

His position directly conflicts with that of European leaders, who have called for an immediate halt to the fighting and insist that Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity must be protected.

The disagreement comes as Russian, Ukrainian and American representatives meet in Abu Dhabi for their first U.S.-brokered talks since February.

The negotiations are expected to address territorial disputes, security guarantees and the conditions for ending the war, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.