Kathrine Frich
He blames Zelensky for it all.
When global powers try to broker a deal, even a small disagreement can derail the whole effort.
Diplomats have spent months floating ideas to calm one of the world’s most tense conflicts. Now, a fiery public exchange suggests one key player is not interested in playing along.
Rejection and demands
Speaking after an Asian security summit in Baku on October 15, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of snubbing Washington.
According to the Russian news agency TASS, Moscow backed a fuel arrangement known as “the diesel deal” put forward by US President Donald Trump. Kyiv took a very different path.
Lavrov told reporters that the Ukrainian leader would rather ask for Patriot air defense missiles so his forces can keep striking Russian oil refineries. For the Kremlin’s top diplomat, brushing off the American proposal was no minor disagreement.
“This is a direct and, moreover, crude challenge directed at President Trump, who actively supported this deal and has publicly stated so on more than one occasion,” Lavrov said, as reported by TASS. He added that the Ukrainian president acts as though the international community owes him everything while giving nothing back.
No pause ahead
Rumors of a broader settlement have also been swirling in American newspapers like the Washington Post and the New York Times. Lavrov dismissed those outlets as a “leak factory” and noted that Moscow has not seen any official peace proposals.
And the fighting will not stop anytime soon. TASS reported that Lavrov ruled out halting Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, arguing that Zelensky has set impossible terms to avoid holding a national vote.
“There will be no ceasefire so that he [Zelensky] can be brought to his senses again and pumped full of weapons,” Lavrov stated, according to the agency. While Western governments regularly flip their strategies, he insisted that Russia’s core objectives remain fixed.
Regional transit plans
Beyond the war in Ukraine, reporters asked the minister about South Caucasus diplomacy during his stop in Azerbaijan.
According to TASS, Lavrov noted that neither Armenia nor Azerbaijan has asked Moscow to join the “Trump Route” transit project yet, though Russia stands ready to help.
Instead, Moscow is looking ahead to the next regional summit with Iran, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. Lavrov told journalists that Baku could host the next gathering of foreign ministers, followed by a meeting in Yerevan.
