--- title: "Lavrov Announces 'Trend Toward Escalation' in War Against Ukraine During Meeting with African Journalists" description: "Sergey Lavrov stated at a meeting with African journalists that Russia's war against Ukraine will continue and has a 'trend toward escalation.' At the same time, he accused Europe of unwillingness to conduct contacts with Moscow." date: 2026-10-27T16:23:03.905Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/lavrov-announces-trend-toward-escalation-ukraine-war tags: [sergey-lavrov, russia-ukraine-war, african-media, trump-administration, europe, un-general-assembly] author: "Alexander Buran" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Lavrov Announces 'Trend Toward Escalation' in War Against Ukraine During Meeting with African Journalists ![Sergey Lavrov speaking at a press conference wearing a dark suit against a dark background](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/27/lavrov-zayavil-o-obostrenii-voyny-protiv-ukrainy/lavrov-zayavil-o-obostrenii-voyny-protiv-ukrainy-1.webp) ## Key Points - Lavrov stated that Russia's war against Ukraine will continue and has a trend toward escalation - The Russian Foreign Minister called the Trump administration 'open to dialogue' despite its weapons support for Ukraine - Lavrov accused Europe of refusing contacts with Russia and criticized calls to prepare for armed confrontation - Earlier, Lavrov rejected the possibility of a ceasefire to hold elections in Ukraine Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, during a meeting with chief editors of African media outlets, stated that Russia's war against Ukraine 'will continue' and, in his own words, 'has a trend toward escalation.' The statement came against the backdrop of ongoing diplomatic contacts between Moscow and various international platforms, as well as in the context of discussing prospects for a peaceful settlement of the conflict, which is now in its fourth year. ### Assessment of the Situation: 'Escalation' as a Working Scenario According to RBC-Ukraine, which transmitted the statement via the Russian Foreign Ministry's Telegram channel, Lavrov directly linked the future dynamics of the conflict to what he called an 'escalation' around Ukraine. 'Therefore, this war will continue, and I would even say it has a trend toward escalation,' the head of the Russian foreign policy department said. The wording, in which the continuation of hostilities is presented as a natural and predictable development of events, has become a characteristic feature of Lavrov's public appearances in the final months of 2026. ### Trump Administration: 'Open to Dialogue' While Supporting Kyiv Lavrov placed special emphasis on the policy of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. He claimed that Washington, 'despite all its actions in support of Ukraine, the transfer of weapons sold to Europeans, and the provision of satellite information,' is nevertheless 'open to dialogue.' The minister emphasized that, in his estimation, the American side 'openly advocates for peace negotiations and the development of dialogue in a large number of areas.' Thus, the rhetoric of the Russian Foreign Ministry maintains a line of separating the positions of the U.S. and Europe, with the former figuring as a potential negotiation partner and the latter as an obstacle. ### Europe as a 'Refusenik' and Calls to Prepare for War A significant part of Lavrov's statement was devoted to criticizing European capitals. He stated that Europe 'categorically refuses until literally the last moment to participate in any contacts with Russia,' but, according to him, European politicians 'have now come to the realization that negotiations are needed.' At the same time, Lavrov added that he 'heard nothing new' from European politicians. Separately, he commented on public calls by a number of European leaders to prepare for a possible armed confrontation with Russia, calling them a potential trigger capable of 'provoking a war.' ### Context: 'Goals of the Special Military Operation' and Meeting with Berlin Earlier, speaking at the UN General Assembly, Lavrov stated that Moscow 'will achieve its goals' in the war against Ukraine and that 'threats to Russia's security will be eliminated.' According to UNIAN, a bilateral meeting between the Russian Foreign Minister and his German counterpart Johann Wadephul took place at the same venue, which, according to Russian Foreign Ministry official spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, was initiated by Berlin. The meeting took place in the Russian delegation's negotiation room and reportedly lasted about half an hour. The combination of these events forms a picture in which Moscow simultaneously declares readiness for negotiations and emphasizes the unchanging nature of its military objectives. ### Position on Ceasefire and Elections in Ukraine In another recent statement, Lavrov rejected the possibility of a ceasefire for the purpose of holding presidential elections in Ukraine, stating that 'there will be no stoppage of the fire so that presidential elections can be held in Ukraine.' This statement reinforces the position of the Russian leadership, according to which any political settlement formats involving the legalization of the current Ukrainian authorities through the electoral process are excluded from the negotiating agenda. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Лавров пригрозил "обострением" войны против Украины](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/lavrov-prigroziv-zagostrennyam-viyni-proti-1793116402.html) - Primary source: direct quotes from Lavrov from the meeting with African editors, transmitted via the Russian Foreign Ministry's Telegram channel. Confirms statements about escalation, positions on Trump and Europe. - [Лавров заявил, что война в Украине продолжится и может обостриться](https://www.unian.net/world/voyna-v-ukraine-lavrov-prigrozil-obostreniem-konflikta-13541784.html) - Confirms the context of the UN General Assembly statement on 'achieving goals', criticism of Europe, and the fact of the meeting with German counterpart Wadephul. Does not contradict source 1 data. - [Лавров пообещал "достичь целей" войны против Украины и набросился на Европу](https://www.unian.net/world/voyna-v-ukraine-lavrov-sdelal-cinichnoe-zayavlenie-i-nabrosilsya-na-evropu-13511190.html) - Подтверждает контекст заявления на Генассамблее ООН о «достижении целей», критику Европы, а также факт встречи с немецким коллегой Вадефулемом. Не противоречит данным источника 1. ## FAQ ### Where and when did Lavrov make the statement about the 'escalation' of the war? The statement was made during a meeting with chief editors of African media. The exact date of the meeting is not specified in the provided sources; the information was distributed via the Russian Foreign Ministry's Telegram channel and reported by RBC-Ukraine. ### What did Lavrov say about the Trump administration? According to Lavrov, the Trump administration, despite transferring weapons and satellite information to Ukraine, is 'open to dialogue' and 'openly advocates for peace negotiations.' ### What is Moscow's position regarding a ceasefire for elections in Ukraine? Lavrov previously stated that 'there will be no stoppage of the fire so that presidential elections can be held in Ukraine.' ### Did Lavrov meet with European counterparts during the period of these statements? Yes, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, a bilateral meeting took place between Lavrov and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. According to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, the initiative came from Berlin.