The Russian foreign minister believes that the United States and NATO allies want to beat Russia on the battlefield in order to “weaken” or even “destroy” Russia. Sergei Lavrov’s accusation was made during an interview with the Russian state news agency Tass, which was published on Tuesday.
“The actions of the collective of the West and its puppet [o presidente ucraniano Volodymyr] Zelensky confirms the global nature of the Ukrainian crisis. It is no secret that the strategic goal of the US and its NATO allies is to achieve battlefield victory over Russia as a mechanism to weaken or even destroy our country.” said Sergey Lavrov. “Our opponents will do everything they can to achieve this goal,” he added.
For the head of Russian diplomacy, the US is the major beneficiary of the Moscow-Kiev conflict. He also accused Washington of working towards the “geopolitical goal of breaking traditional ties between Russia and Europe, making its European satellites even more dependent.”
The ruler also believed that it is “objectively impossible” for Russia to maintain “normal” communications with the administration of Joe Biden, “which declares a strategic defeat” of Russia “as one of its objectives”.
Lavrov even says that relations between Russia and the US are in a “very deplorable state” as they are practically non-existent due to Washington’s fault.
The minister said Moscow has “consistently explained” to Americans that it is not in Russia’s style to “deliberately devalue intergovernmental relations”.
However, he noted that the Kremlin “takes the attitude of reciprocity” when it comes to building dialogue. “That is, we act on an ‘eye for an eye’ principle, but not necessarily in a symmetrical way,” he added.
In the same interview, Lavrov stated that Russia’s proposals for “demilitarization and denazification of regime-controlled areas” in Ukraine are known to Kiev. If Ukraine does not accept them “amicably”, the solution of the conflict will be decided by the Russian army, the minister defended.
Sergei Lavrov even opined that “the ball is in Kiev and Washington’s court” to end what he considers “pointless resistance”.
In statements to the Russian state service, the minister said that Russia does not intend to present a new initiative on strategic agreements on offensive weapons or security guarantees. However, he urged the West for “maximum moderation” on “highly sensitive” nuclear.
“To minimize nuclear risks, it is important to remain truly committed to the postulate of the impermissibility of nuclear war, reaffirmed by the five nuclear-weapon states in the joint agreement in the January 3, 2022 statement,” Lavrov said.
It should be noted that Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said yesterday that Kiev intends to hold a peace summit at the end of February, preferably at the UN and with the secretary-general, António Guterres, as a mediator.
In an interview with the AP agency, Kuleba said Ukraine will do everything it can to win the war in 2023, adding that diplomacy plays an important role in that outcome.
“All war ends diplomatically. All war ends as a result of actions on the battlefield and at the negotiating table,” argued the head of Ukraine’s diplomacy, announcing that he would like to see a peace summit by the end of February.
“The United Nations is perhaps the best place to hold this summit, because it’s not about pleasing any particular country. It’s really about getting everyone on board,” Kuleba explains.
Source: DN
