Russia praises Trump and scolds Europe for being the crucible of war

Russian Foreign Minister praises Trump's aim to end Ukraine war, criticizes Europe for prolonging conflict, advocates for pragmatic U.S.-Russia relationship.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Sunday (March 2, 2025) praised U.S. President Donald Trump's "common sense" aim to end the war in Ukraine, but accused the European powers which have rallied around Kyiv of seeking to prolong the conflict.

Mr. Lavrov said the U.S. still wanted to be the world's most powerful country and that Washington and Moscow would never see eye to eye on everything, but that they had agreed to be pragmatic when interests coincided.

President Vladimir Putin's Foreign Minister of 21 years said the model of the U.S.-China relationship was the one that should be built between Russia and the United States to do a lot of "mutually beneficial things" without allowing disagreements to collapse into war.

"Donald Trump is a pragmatist," Mr. Lavrov told the Russian military newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda, according to a transcript released by the Foreign Ministry. "His slogan is common sense. It means, as everyone can see, a shift to a different way of doing things."

"But the goal is still MAGA (Make America Great Again)," Mr. Lavrov said, referring to Mr. Trump's political slogan. "This gives a lively, human character to politics. That's why it's interesting to work with him."

Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 with thousands of troops, triggering the biggest confrontation between Russia and the West since the depths of the Cold War.

The conflict in eastern Ukraine began in 2014 after a pro-Russian President was toppled in Ukraine's Maidan Revolution and Russia annexed Crimea, with Russian-backed separatist forces fighting Ukraine's armed forces.