Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on 20 August that the United States is developing a clearer understanding of the root causes of the war in Ukraine and, unlike before, no longer supports prolonging the fighting. Speaking to reporters in Moscow, Lavrov welcomed what he called a more constructive approach by the current U.S. administration under President Donald Trump. Lavrov added that Moscow supports "reliable" security guarantees for Kyiv but insisted any such arrangement must involve Russia. Discussing Western guarantees for Ukraine without Moscow’s participation, he warned, would be a “road to nowhere.” The minister also accused European leaders of making “clumsy attempts” to sway Trump’s stance on the conflict while simultaneously “aggressively escalating” the situation by continuing to supply weapons to Kyiv. He argued that questions of European security cannot be resolved without Russian involvement. Lavrov further cautioned that any prospective summit between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky would have to be meticulously prepared at the expert level before the leaders meet, reiterating Moscow’s position that durable peace depends on addressing Russia’s security concerns.