Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said over the weekend that Western governments are seeking a pretext to “block” or “undermine” negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. He argued that recent diplomatic efforts have stalled because Kyiv’s allies prefer to set conditions that Moscow regards as unacceptable. Two days later, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Moscow views Europe’s draft security-guarantee framework for Ukraine negatively and will not tolerate any deployment of NATO troops on Ukrainian territory. Public discussion of the matter is unhelpful, he added, while praising U.S. President Donald Trump’s ongoing mediation attempts. On 29 August, the Russian Foreign Ministry escalated its rhetoric, calling the Western proposals “one-sided” and designed to contain Russia by pulling Ukraine deeper into NATO’s orbit. The ministry warned that the approach would raise the risk of a broader military clash and insisted that any security guarantees must emerge from, not precede, a comprehensive peace agreement that also addresses Russia’s own security concerns.