Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on 20 August that any security guarantees for Ukraine must involve Moscow, warning that efforts to design such protections without Russia are a “road to nowhere.” Speaking at a joint press conference in Moscow with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Lavrov stressed that “really secure” guarantees should be offered “on an equal basis” by China, the United States, the United Kingdom and France alongside Russia. Lavrov’s demand would allow the Kremlin an effective veto over future military assistance to Kyiv and undercuts U.S. efforts to broker a peace deal. Earlier this week Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy, said President Vladimir Putin had accepted Western, Article-5-style guarantees for Ukraine; Lavrov’s remarks make clear that Moscow still insists on direct participation and rejects any arrangement reached solely by Western capitals and Kyiv. Ukrainian and European officials have previously ruled out giving Russia a say in security guarantees, arguing it would leave the country defenseless if hostilities resume. Lavrov also cautioned that a summit between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is unlikely in the near term, saying any leaders’ meeting must be “meticulously prepared” and follow substantive progress in lower-level talks. Reiterating longstanding red lines, Lavrov and former president Dmitry Medvedev said Russia will not accept NATO troops in Ukraine “under the guise of peacekeepers.” Moscow continues to cite a draft framework discussed in Istanbul in 2022—which required Ukrainian neutrality and multinational guarantees including Russia—as the basis for future negotiations.