Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned on 20 August that any security architecture for post-war Ukraine that excludes Moscow is “a road to nowhere.” Speaking in Moscow after talks with Jordan’s Ayman Safadi, Lavrov said Russia supports “truly reliable” guarantees but insists they must be agreed “on an equal basis” by all five permanent UN Security Council members—Russia, China, the United States, the United Kingdom and France. Lavrov pointed to the draft accord discussed in Istanbul in 2022 as a model. That proposal, rejected by Kyiv at the time, would have required Ukraine to adopt permanent neutrality and allowed each guarantor, including Russia, an effective veto over any future military response to defend Ukraine. He reiterated Moscow’s blanket opposition to NATO troop deployments in the country. The minister’s remarks undercut assertions made earlier this week by U.S. President Donald Trump that President Vladimir Putin had accepted Western-led security assurances for Kyiv and was ready for a swift summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Lavrov said any Putin–Zelensky meeting must be “meticulously prepared” and dismissed European efforts to broker guarantees without Russian participation as “utopian.” Moscow’s demand for a decisive role—and veto power—in any security pact underscores the gulf that still separates the Kremlin from Western capitals and Kyiv after more than three years of war. The stance complicates diplomatic attempts to craft assurances that would deter future aggression while preserving Ukraine’s sovereignty and its aspiration for closer ties with NATO.