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Russia has set a clear condition for improving relations with the incoming Trump administration: the United States must initiate the first step toward reconciliation, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s statement on Thursday.

This development comes as Trump’s appointed Ukraine envoy, retired Lieutenant-General Keith Kellogg, expressed optimism about peace prospects during a Fox News appearance on December 18. Kellogg suggested that both parties were prepared for peace negotiations and emphasized Trump’s unique position to broker a resolution to the conflict.

However, this optimistic outlook contrasts sharply with NATO’s perspective, which warns against U.S.-Moscow peace talks, citing potential negative implications for America’s relationships with other adversarial nations, including Iran, China, and North Korea.

“If the signals that are coming from the new team in Washington to restore the dialogue that Washington interrupted after the start of a special military operation (war in Ukraine), are serious, of course, we will respond to them,” Lavrov told reporters in Moscow, Reuters reports.

“But the Americans broke (off) the dialogue, so they should make the first move,” Lavrov, Putin’s foreign minister for over 20 years, told reporters in Moscow.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has resulted in devastating consequences, including countless casualties, massive population displacement, and the most severe deterioration in East-West relations since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.

In discussing potential peace arrangements, Lavrov dismissed the notion of a temporary ceasefire, instead emphasizing Russia’s desire for a legally binding agreement that would ensure long-term stability and security for both Russia and neighboring nations.

“A truce is a path to nowhere,” Lavrov said.

“We need final legal agreements that will fix all the conditions for ensuring the security of the Russian Federation and, of course, the legitimate security interests of our neighbours,” Lavrov said.

The Foreign Minister concluded by stressing that Moscow seeks to establish legal frameworks with safeguards that would prevent any future violations of these agreements.