Russia's security must be guaranteed by any Ukraine peace deal, Lavrov says

MOSCOW: Russia sees no point in a weak ceasefire to freeze the war in Ukraine but Moscow wants a legally binding deal for a lasting peace that would ensure the security of both Russia and its neighbours, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday.

"A truce is a path to nowhere," Lavrov said, adding that Moscow suspected such a weak truce would be simply used by the West to re-arm Ukraine.

"We need final legal agreements that will fix all the conditions for ensuring the security of the Russian Federation and, of course, the legitimate security interests of our neighbours," Lavrov said.

He added that Moscow wanted the legal documents drafted in such a way as to ensure "the impossibility of violating these agreements."