Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov threw up a new roadblock to direct talks between Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
During an interview with NBC's Meet The Press that aired on August 24, Lavrov denied Russia has erred in striking civilian targets in Ukraine, questioned the legitimacy of Zelenskyy, and blamed Ukraine for setting back the peace process.
"The reaction to the Anchorage meeting, the gathering in Washington of these European representatives and what they were doing after Washington indicates that they don't want peace," Lavrov said in the pre-taped interview.
He added that permanent United Nations Security Council members should be the guarantors of Ukraine's security. The council consists of China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Kyiv and other allies have so far rejected the idea of Moscow being among the security guarantors for a peace deal, and Zelenskyy recently shot down the prospect of Beijing playing a role.
"The guarantors would be guaranteeing the security of Ukraine, which must be neutral, which must be nonaligned with any military bloc and which must be non-nuclear," Lavrov said, according to a transcript of the interview released by the Foreign Ministry.
Lavrov's comments came as Ukraine celebrated its 34th anniversary since the country declared independence from the Soviet Union and now finds itself navigating fraught diplomacy with Russia amid renewed calls from US President Donald Trump to push for peace talks.
August has been a month of intense diplomacy around ending the 3 1/2-year war, including a high-profile summit between Trump and Putin in Alaska, where the issues of security guarantees and potential territorial concessions took center stage.
During a speech in Kyiv on August 24 to mark Ukraine's Independence Day, Zelenskyy said that despite parts of Ukraine being currently occupied by Russian forces, there is "one Ukraine" and "we shall be together again as one family."
"[Ukraine] will never again accept the humiliation of what the Russians say is a 'compromise,'" he said. "We need a just peace in which our future will be ours to decide."
Zelenskyy added that his country will "not lose" its fight against Moscow.
"Ukraine is not a victim; it is a fighter."
Canada's Carney Discusses Security Guarantees In Kyiv
In a show of support, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Kyiv on August 24 for his first official visit to Ukraine since being elected in April.
Carney said during a press conference with Zelenskyy that he would not rule out the presence of Canadian troops in Ukraine as part of future proposed security guarantees.
The framework for such security guarantees is currently being formed by Kyiv and its allies.
"We know that Putin can never be trusted," Carney said in his speech on Kyiv's St. Sophia Square. "We know that true peace and security will require security guarantees for Ukraine."
Carney also discussed with Zelenskyy a commitment of 2 billion Canadian dollars ($1.44 billion) for military aid, as well as joint opportunities for producing defense equipment.
During his speech in central Kyiv, Carney said more than $720 million will be used to finance ammunition -- along with drone and armored-vehicle production -- with Canadian suppliers.
Norway also announced on August 24 that it would contribute $693 million worth of air defense systems to Ukraine.
US envoy Keith Kellogg was in attendance at the Independence Day celebrations in Kyiv, where he and Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson were awarded Ukraine's Order of Merit by Zelenskyy.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko later met with Kellogg to discuss security guarantees.
"This is not only about the military component but also about political stability and economic capacity," Svyrydenko wrote on Telegram.
Uncertain Future For Peace Talks
Earlier in the day, Zelenskyy posted a congratulatory note from Trump on his social media, where the US president praised Ukraine's "unbreakable spirit" as the country celebrates its independence.
Since the summit in Alaska, Trump has grown publicly frustrated over the lack of a peace deal.
He offered a fresh two-week deadline at the White House on August 22 for Kyiv and Moscow to move forward with a peace process or face possible US retaliation.
If steps toward ending the war are not been taken by then, Trump said he could enact "massive sanctions" or "massive tariffs" or he might do nothing and "say it's your fight."
Whether peace talks proceed could also be affected by events on the battlefield.
Russia's Defense Ministry said Kyiv and Moscow each sent back 146 prisoners of war on August 24, the latest in a series of exchanges this year.
That followed claims from Russia that its forces in eastern Ukraine seized two villages in the Donetsk region on August 23 and claimed to take another on Ukraine's Independence Day. The Ukrainian military also said its troops had recaptured a settlement on the western edge of the Dnipropetrovsk region on August 23.
Moscow also announced it had put out a fire at a nuclear plant in its western Kursk region after Russian air defenses claimed to have shot down a Ukrainian drone.
