Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused European leaders of being “scared to death” by U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposals for resolving the Ukraine conflict and working relentlessly to derail Washington’s compromise efforts.

In an interview published on Tuesday, Lavrov stated that NATO members sought to prevent Trump from returning to ideas he discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting in Alaska last year. He also referenced a phone call between the two leaders on July 4.

“Europe understands that if the Americans suddenly return to their original proposals… as was the case in Anchorage, Europe was simply scared to death,” Lavrov said. According to him, European officials “immediately rushed” to pressure Trump into abandoning his initiatives.

Lavrov recalled French President Emmanuel Macron’s remarks at a June NATO summit, where the French leader effectively claimed the Anchorage initiative had been “buried” and that Washington was once again aligned with Europe in a united front against Russia.

“If Western diplomacy comes down to restraining countries that put forward reasonable, balanced, compromise initiatives, then so be it,” Lavrov said. Moscow would pursue its objectives “not at the negotiating table,” which he described as Russia’s preference, “but on the battlefield.”

Lavrov’s remarks follow renewed U.S. diplomatic efforts to revive stalled talks. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner met Putin in Moscow on Saturday for more than three hours before traveling to Kiev the following day. The White House stated discussions included “substantive plans for next steps” toward ending the conflict, while Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov described the meeting as “extremely frank” and noted American envoys presented ideas for potential settlements.

However, Lavrov argued that much of the public diplomacy originating from Kiev and its Western sponsors aims to secure another pause in fighting and allow Ukrainian proxies time to rearm and regroup. Despite renewed U.S. efforts, he insisted no constructive peace negotiations are currently underway.

“Nothing is happening on the diplomatic front,” he said, adding that developments are unfolding “on the real front” where Russian forces are advancing.

The foreign minister also warned Moscow intends to follow through on threats of retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure. Russia had previously stated such strikes would trigger a response “much heavier for Ukraine,” he added: “This is happening now.”

Addressing London’s vow to remain with Kiev, Lavrov said, “I feel sorry for Britain” because that end “will not be a happy one.” When questioned about European preparations for potential conflict with Moscow, Lavrov reiterated Putin’s position that Russia has no intention of attacking Europe. However, he warned that if European countries were to attack Russia, it would be “a fundamentally different war” and “very short.”