Lavrov says Russia will closely follow Trump-Zelensky meeting at NATO summit in Ankara

Russia will closely follow the outcome of a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a news conference in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, Lavrov said Moscow would observe the talks after assurances received during last year's Russia-US summit in Anchorage, Alaska.

According to Lavrov, Russia accepted US "compromise proposals" at the Alaska meeting after considering them, and was told that Zelensky would follow Washington's recommendations.

"We'll see how the meeting at the NATO summit in Ankara ends," he said.

Trump earlier said he believes both Moscow and Kyiv are interested in reaching a settlement and indicated the Ukraine conflict would be discussed during the July 7-8 NATO summit.

Lavrov argued that Western countries are directly involved in supporting Ukraine's military through weapons supplies, intelligence sharing, satellite assistance, and targeting strikes.

"They say they are not at war with us. But that is disingenuous," Lavrov said, arguing that Western military personnel have long participated in supporting Ukrainian operations.

The Russian foreign minister said Europe was expanding its defense production to continue supplying Ukraine while also supporting its own industrial base.

Commenting on recent remarks by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte urging allies to invest more in defense production, Lavrov criticized the alliance's military buildup and said an arms race would ultimately fail to achieve superiority.

On the battlefield, Lavrov pointed to Russia's proposal to allow Ukraine to retrieve the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers from Kostiantynivka as evidence supporting Moscow's claim that Russian forces control the city.

He said Ukraine's refusal of the proposal showed that Kyiv was unwilling to recover its fallen servicemen.

Ukrainian authorities earlier had disputed Russia's claim that it has captured Kostiantynivka.

Addressing developments in the Middle East, Lavrov welcomed ongoing negotiations concerning the Strait of Hormuz and expressed hope they would restore freedom of navigation after "US and Israeli aggression" against Iran.

He reiterated Russia's support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, warning against efforts that could prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Turning to Africa, Lavrov said Russia plans to open diplomatic missions in Gambia, Liberia, Togo, and the Comoros over the next two years.

He said Moscow shared the African Union's concerns over conflicts across the continent, including in the Sahel, the Great Lakes region, the Horn of Africa, Sudan, South Sudan, and Libya, and pledged continued support for African-led efforts to resolve regional crises.