U.S. President Donald Trump’s bid signals a “deep crisis” for NATO and casts doubt on the alliance’s continued existence, Russia’s top diplomat stated on Tuesday.
“It was unthinkable before that this could occur,” Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a news conference, adding it might lead to a situation where “one NATO member attacks another.”
He noted that Trump’s actions have overturned the Western concept of the that Russia has long criticized—even after Moscow deployed troops to neighboring Ukraine nearly four years ago.
“Now it’s not the Collective West setting the rules—just one of its members,” Lavrov said wryly. “This is a major upheaval for Europe, and we are monitoring it. The Euro-Atlantic framework for security and cooperation has lost credibility.”
was a relic of the colonial era, Lavrov asserted.
“Fundamentally, Greenland is not a natural part of Denmark,” he added.
Meanwhile, Lavrov firmly rejected Trump’s claims that Russia and China have any plans to threaten the Arctic island.
“We have no connection to this,” he stated. “We are definitely observing this significant geopolitical situation and will draw our conclusions once it’s resolved.”
During his annual news conference on Moscow’s foreign policy priorities, Lavrov also gave cautious backing to Trump’s proposal to establish a The group was initially viewed as a tool to end the but is now emerging with plans for a much wider mandate covering other global crises—potentially competing with the United Nations.
The Kremlin stated it is reviewing Trump’s invitation to join the board and awaiting additional details from Washington.
“This initiative shows the U.S. recognizes that, despite its current foreign policy approach, it needs to gather a group of countries willing to work with it,” Lavrov said.
He commended Trump’s efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict in Ukraine, calling the U.S. the only Western nation that has “shown an understanding of the need to consider Russian interests and put forward solutions that address the crisis’s root causes.”
Meanwhile, Lavrov criticized Kyiv’s European allies for attempting to modify the U.S. proposals while the Ukrainian military faces a relentless Russian offensive.
The top Russian diplomat contended that the initial Trump proposal—accepted by President Vladimir Putin at their Alaska summit—included protections for Russian speakers in Ukraine and the Moscow-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church, but these were removed from the latest version put forward by Kyiv and its European allies.
Moscow will not accept such modifications, he stated.
“We won’t let the Kyiv regime once again have the luxury of pausing and rearming,” Lavrov said.
He noted that while Moscow does not rule out engaging with European leaders, “it’s highly likely we won’t reach any agreements with them—they’ve let themselves become far too consumed by hatred for Russia.”
However, Lavrov also condemned the U.S. for detaining Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and transferring him to the U.S. to face drug trafficking charges, labeling it a “crude military intervention.” He added that Moscow is still waiting for the U.S. to fulfill its promise to release two Russian crew members from a Russia-flagged tanker seized by the U.S. earlier this month, and he also pointed out U.S. threats against Cuba and other Latin American countries.
Lavrov mentioned Washington’s refusal to accept Putin’s proposal to extend the nuclear weapons limits set by the for another year beyond its expiration next month.
Russia is prepared to keep dialogue with the U.S. going based on mutual respect for national interests, Lavrov stated. He added that during U.S.-Russian talks in Riyadh in February, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed the importance of cooperating where their interests align and preventing disagreements from escalating into conflict.
“I replied that I completely agree with this approach and reasoning,” Lavrov said.