Lavrov Claims Russia is a "Guarantor" of Security

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov once again addressed the topic of the so-called Istanbul "security guarantees" from 2022, presenting Russia not as an aggressor state, but as a "guarantor". The statement, made by the senior Russian diplomat, sounds particularly contradictory against the backdrop of the repeated and systemic violation of key international treaties and agreements between Moscow and Kyiv, which the Kremlin has ignored since 2014.

Analysis of the Chronology of Violated Agreements

An analysis of the chronology of these agreements reveals a deeply ingrained tendency of Russia to violate its international commitments. One of the earliest and most significant acts is the Budapest Memorandum of 1994. According to it, Ukraine agreed to give up its nuclear arsenal, and in return, Russia and other nuclear states committed to guaranteeing its security and territorial integrity. This guarantee was blatantly violated first with the occupation of the Crimean peninsula and the subsequent war in Donbas, and then with the full-scale invasion in 2022.

In 1997, the two sides signed a Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation, and Partnership, which aimed to establish a strategic partnership and mutual respect for borders. However, the document was rendered meaningless by the military aggression undertaken by Moscow against Ukraine, which led to its complete violation.

Even after these events, in 2003, the Treaty on the Russian-Ukrainian Border was signed, which officially defined the land borders between the two states, explicitly recognizing Donbas and Crimea as Ukrainian territories. This act was also systematically violated in 2014 and again in 2022.

Another example of a violated agreement is the Kharkiv Agreements of 2010. They extended the stay of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Crimea until 2042, but lost their validity immediately after the annexation of the peninsula.

Finally, the series of Minsk Agreements (2014–2015), aimed at ending the conflict in Donbas through a ceasefire and withdrawal of armaments, also failed. Instead of being adhered to, they were violated through continued military actions in the region, which culminated in the full-scale invasion.

Minister Lavrov's statement about Russia as a "guarantor" of security seems untenable in the face of the long list of violated international treaties that Moscow has signed and repeatedly devalued.