Russia’s Lavrov: Europe, NATO mount pressure on Trump

Shafaq News – Moscow/Shanghai

On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow seeks clarity on recent remarks by US President Donald Trump, who warned of new tariffs on Russia and its trade partners if no settlement is reached in Ukraine within 50 days.

Speaking to reporters following the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) foreign ministers' meeting in China, Lavrov questioned the meaning behind Trump’s timeline. “We want to understand what lies behind this statement. Fifty days—before, it was 24 hours, then 100 days. We’ve seen all of that. We genuinely want to know what motivates the US president,” he said.

Lavrov added that Trump is under “tremendous pressure” from the European Union to send more weapons to Ukraine, accusing the EU of pushing the US toward imposing further sanctions on Moscow. “Those drafting these sanctions will be the ones to suffer from them,” he added, affirming that Russia has “no doubt” in its ability to withstand any new Western sanctions.

He also criticized European leaders, claiming figures such as Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, and Ursula von der Leyen are seeking to escalate military support for Ukraine. He cited German military officials who, according to him, have discussed supplying long-range missiles to strike deep inside Russian territory.

“From Europe’s perspective, a ceasefire does not mean halting arms supplies to Ukraine,” he said. “This turns a ceasefire into an opportunity for further militarization.”

He noted that European leaders make no effort to hide this approach, adding, “Our American partners are fully aware of our position. This model of a ceasefire is not acceptable to us.”