MOSCOW/KYIV – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday that Russia would not agree to an immediate ceasefire with Ukraine if it is without a long-term and reliable settlement.
Speaking in an interview with the All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (RTR), Lavrov stressed that Russia could not stop at the current line of contact, as doing so would betray its history.
Commenting on mediation, he said that Russia remains open to dialogue with US President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner. "If they come, they know that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to receive them once again," said Lavrov.
However, the Russian foreign minister expressed caution over what he called Washington's "contradictory" approach, which first offers peace proposals accepted by Moscow, then imposes sanctions on Russian oil giants and wavers on mediation, while continuing to arm Ukraine and supply intelligence.
Russia seizes 8 settlements
In another development, Russian forces seized eight settlements and launched 14 group strikes on Ukrainian military infrastructure over the past week, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
Russian troops took control of Vodyanoye, Ivanovka and Shcherbakovka in the Kharkiv region; Vasyutinskoye, Toretskoye, Petrovka and Novonikolayevka in the Donetsk region; and Novoye Pole settlement in the Zaporizhzhia region within the week.
The strikes, carried out with precision-guided weapons and attack drones, targeted defense industrial plants, logistics hubs, fuel-energy and transport infrastructure, military airfields, drone production and storage facilities, and temporary deployment points for Ukrainian forces and foreign mercenaries.
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The ministry said that 15 Ukrainian maritime vessels and infrastructure facilities of multiple Ukrainian seaports were hit in a week. In addition, forces of the Black Sea Fleet destroyed eight unmanned surface vessels of the Ukrainian Navy.
In total, air defense forces intercepted 64 guided aerial bombs, 29 missiles and 7,078 fixed-wing drones.
Ukraine strikes Novatek's complex
In Russia's northwestern Leningrad Region, Ukrainian forces struck Russian gas producer Novatek's gas condensate processing complex at the Baltic port of Ust-Luga, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.
The Ukrainian General Staff said in a statement that the complex was hit overnight from Thursday to Friday. A fire was reported at the site, and preliminary information indicated that two processing units had been hit.
The complex processes stable gas condensate into light and heavy naphtha, jet fuel, fuel oil and gas oil, and facilitates the transshipment of gas condensate and the export of petroleum products to international markets.
Sanctions over illegal export of Ukrainian grain
Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree enacting a decision by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine to impose sanctions on individuals and companies involved in the illegal export of Ukrainian grain, as well as vessels used in such activities, the presidential press service said Friday.
The sanctions package targets 13 seagoing vessels, including eight flying the Russian flag, as well as 11 Russian citizens and 28 legal entities. Sanctions have also been imposed against the owners of these vessels, their captains, and the companies involved in the export of Ukrainian grain.
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According to the Ukrainian side, those targeted by the sanctions were involved in the illegal export of Ukrainian grain from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
