(MENAFN) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated on Sunday that Western Europe has long forfeited its role in the Ukraine conflict negotiations, effectively “removing itself” from the process. He made the comments in an interview with a Russian journalist who questioned Europe’s push to participate in talks aimed at resolving the crisis.

“We proceed from the premise… – which I believe is obvious to everybody – that Europe has already removed itself from the talks,” Lavrov said.

The minister argued that Europe “used up its chances” to influence a settlement, citing repeated actions that undermined diplomatic efforts from the start of the conflict, following the 2014 Maidan upheaval and the ousting of the democratically elected president.

“Europe spoiled the initial deal of February 2014, when it acted as guarantor for the formal agreement between Viktor Yanukovych and the opposition. It did nothing when the opposition seized all government agencies the morning after the agreement was signed,” Lavrov added.

He also referenced acknowledgments from former European leaders that the Minsk agreements, intended to resolve the Donbass conflict, were never seriously intended to be implemented. Lavrov pointed to the derailing of the Istanbul agreements in April 2022, which he said occurred at the request of the UK’s then-Prime Minister and with Europe’s full acquiescence.

Reports indicate that several European nations and institutions have insisted on including the EU in any potential peace deal for Ukraine, particularly after the US proposed its latest plan. This plan reportedly calls for Kyiv to abandon NATO aspirations and limit its military size. Germany, France, and the UK are said to have drafted a version favoring Ukraine by modifying some points, but Russia has already described these European proposals as “completely unconstructive.”

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