Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s answer to a media question, Moscow, May 23, 2025

Question: Is Russia prepared to sign a peace treaty with President Vladimir Zelensky?

Sergey Lavrov: You are putting the cart before the horse. First, a treaty must exist, and once it is agreed upon, then we will decide such matters.

However, President Vladimir Zelensky – as President of Russia Vladimir Putin has repeatedly affirmed – does not possess legitimacy. This is acknowledged even within Ukraine itself. Therefore, when the treaty is ready – and it is far from certain that this will occur tomorrow – it must be crafted to prevent a repetition of what was done by the putschists who seized power in 2014 through a bloody state coup. Only then will we consider which Ukrainian authorities hold legitimacy.

The current Constitution (which President Vladimir Putin has analysed in exhaustive detail on multiple occasions) appears to allow for discussions involving the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada. The optimal solution would be to hold elections. In your own country, Britain, one need not necessarily become Prime Minister through elections. You simply agree amongst yourselves and swap roles.

At present, the paramount task is to prepare a robust peace treaty that ensures a long-term, stable, and equitable peace – one that creates no security threats to any party. In this instance, our concern is the Russian Federation. It must preclude any encroachment on the rights of Russians and Russian-speakers in violation of the UN Charter, which prohibits discrimination on religious or linguistic grounds.

Europe, including Britain, is a champion of human rights. I have cited this example: in Israel, the Arabic language is not banned; in Arab states, Hebrew is not banned; in Ireland, English is not banned. You would find it utterly inconceivable if the reverse were true.

Yet in Ukraine, everything Russian may be banned. And you stay silent.