Russia Restates Its Maximalist War Goals, Despite Trump’s Renewed Peace Push

Russia will continue its war against Ukraine until its stated territorial demands are achieved, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on July 9, arguing that Moscow no longer trusts Western efforts to broker peace.

Lavrov framed his remarks as consistent with the goals President Vladimir Putin outlined in June 2024. He said the U.S. president had recently suggested Putin was ready to end the war, but Lavrov insisted Russia would still pursue those earlier objectives.

Putin’s June 2024 demands, as outlined at the time, require Ukraine to fully withdraw from parts of Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, and from most of Luhansk oblast, and to abandon NATO ambitions. Kyiv rejected these terms and instead called for a ceasefire along current front lines.

Lavrov accused Western countries of “feigning” willingness to negotiate and said Russia’s “reserve of goodwill and hope” had been “completely exhausted.” He also pointed to Russia’s skepticism toward peace discussions, contrasting the position with prior Kremlin messaging that talks could resume “any time” from where they ended.

The statement came alongside Kremlin warnings that Russia could broaden the scope of military operations in response to Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian infrastructure.

It also arrived as Washington signaled interest in resuming diplomatic efforts after a period in which U.S. attention had shifted to other conflicts. Trump said he held phone calls with both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky earlier in the week, and he met Zelensky at a NATO summit in Ankara on July 8, where Zelensky said the two discussed “ideas to bring peace closer.”