The head of Russian diplomacy, Serguei Lavrov, this Wednesday accused the West in general and the United States in particular of intending to impose on Russia a “final solution” similar to that imposed by the Nazi regime to expel the Jews. to row.
“Like Napoleon who mobilized almost all of Europe against the Russian Empire, as Hitler mobilized and conquered most European countries to throw them against the Soviet Union, the United States today promoted a coalition” to MoscowLavrov stated at his conference at the beginning of the year, where he took stock of the end of the year and outlined the goals for 2023.
For the Russian minister, whose country invaded Ukraine about a year ago after annexing the Crimean peninsula in 2014, the Western goal is similar: “The same ‘final solution’ to the Russian question. Jewish question, now Western leaders (.. .) say without ambiguity that Russia must suffer a strategic defeat,” he added.
The Russian Foreign Minister emphasized that the coalition “nurtured by the Americans with virtually all European countries, which are part of NATO and the European Union, promotes a war” against Russia “with the same goal, the final solution of the Russian question “.
He also assured that “someday this war will end” and that Russia will “defend its truth”, pointing out that future developments will depend “on the conclusions Europe draws”.
In this regard, Lavrov also reaffirmed that Moscow is ready to analyze any “serious proposal” for negotiations from the West to resolve the Ukrainian conflict.
“We have not seen any serious proposal yet, but we will be ready to study them and make decisions,” he continued, despite ruling out any dialogue with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky..
“We understand the thinking in Western capitals according to which ‘we can’t talk about Ukraine without Ukraine’ (…) but in any case it is the West that decides,” he underlined.
At the same time, Lavrov found the ten-point peace plan presented by the Ukrainian president at the G20 summit last November “absurd”, which also calls for the withdrawal of Russian troops and the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
“She [os ocidentais] banned Zelensky from reaching an agreement with Russia at the end of March when the agreement was almost ready. The West decided that the time was not yet and now they also say that it is necessary to supply more weapons, to exhaust the Russian Federation more,” he said.
“So this verbiage from the West they are willing to [a negociar] is nothing more than lies,” he thought.
Russia, he further stated, was present in Istanbul together with Ukraine in March 2022 and was ready to reach an agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine by respecting its neutral status, the country’s resignation and its constitutional aspiration. of NATO.
“Ukraine was instructed that it was too early to do this,” Lavrov claimed.
“Our position is known, but talking only to the West about Ukraine would be pointless. The West is using Ukraine to destroy the Euro-Atlantic security system that was based on the principle of consensus, indivisible security and problem-solving. Through cooperation and dialogue”, he stressed.
And he reaffirmed that Russia has “concrete and not imaginary objectives” in the war in Ukraine, determined by “fundamental interests of the country’s security”.
“In Ukraine, as in any other area bordering Russia, there should be no military infrastructure that poses a direct threat,” he reiterated.
in this way The person in charge of Russian diplomacy again demanded the withdrawal of all “military infrastructure” in Ukraine and neighboring countries that “directly threaten” Moscow, and also an end to “discrimination” against the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine.
The military offensive launched by Russia in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 has so far led to the flight of more than 14 million people — 6.5 million internally displaced persons and more than 7.9 million to European countries — according to the latest data from the UN, which classifies this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
Currently, 17.7 million Ukrainians need humanitarian aid and 9.3 million need food aid and shelter.
The Russian invasion – justified by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russian security – was condemned by the international community at large, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and Russia political and economic sanctions.
Moscow-Beijing relations “are experiencing the best moment in history”
Russian Foreign Minister Serguei Lavrov said Moscow’s relations with China are going through “the best moment in their history”, despite perceived efforts by the West to distance the two countries.
“We are being asked if we have evidence that the West is somehow trying to sow discord in our relations. It is not even necessary to look for this evidence because it is freely accessible,” said the head of the Russian Federation. diplomacy at his conference at the beginning of the year where he took stock of the past year and set out the goals for 2023.
Lavrov proclaimed that the West’s aspirations to defeat Russia in Ukraine and, as a result, make Moscow an ally in its fight against China are doomed to fail.
“Our relations with the People’s Republic of China are at the best time in their history”said.
The Russian foreign minister recalled that the presidents of Russia and China, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, signed the terms of this relationship in February 2022, when the Russian leader visited his Asian neighbor.
“You remember how our Chinese friends described this relationship at one point, when they indicated that it is not an alliance, it is not a union, but in many ways much more than a union,” he said.
Russia’s head of diplomacy noted that “US-approved strategies, security doctrines, and NATO-EU joint statements mention both Russia and China.”
“One small detail: they view us as an imminent threat that must be ended immediately, while they view China as a long-term challenge, the most important and serious, of a systemic nature,” he added.
The Russian foreign minister pointed out that the United States “cannot manage with its own troops alone” to impose the goal of global domination and control on Russia and China, “and therefore what they are doing now is a partial mobilization , or even totally, from the West”.
“It is yet another confirmation that they understand that they are losing their power to face the objective and historical tendency of the emergence of a multipolar world,” he argued.
For this reason, he added that the West will continue to look for situations designed to irritate Beijing.
“China perfectly understands the Western doctrine of ‘Russia first, then China’ and knows that it is not an invention,” he said, after recalling that in the West they have “already determined their positions towards Taiwan, totally unacceptable to China and International Law”.
Lavrov indicated that the West is “looking for new concrete opportunities to “irritate” China in Tibet, in Xinjiang, in Hong Kong, and that is why China realizes that to remain part of the Western system, completely dependent on the West, poses very high risks. serious”.
At the same time, and at the annual press conference, Lavrov also underlined that relations between Russia and Latin American countries are at their peak and that Moscow values its bilateral history with many states and its solidarity in international initiatives.
“Relations with Latin America are at their peak. We have created mechanisms for coordinating guidelines,” said Lavrov, with particular reference to the interaction in the Russia-CELAC format, the community of Latin American and Caribbean states.
In this regard, he added that representatives of Moscow and of four countries in this community have met several times in the past, despite the fact that the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic had jeopardized this flow.
“We will renew this partnership soon,” he promised.
The head of Russian diplomacy also stressed that in the Latin American region there are countries with which Russia has been cooperating “for a long time”.
In particular, he emphasized ties with Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, adding that Moscow values bilateral relations with these and other countries and its solidarity in international fora.
“Argentina, Mexico, Bolivia, Peru… we are interested in cooperation,” continued the Russian foreign minister, noting that exports to Latin America will increase by 10% in 2022.
Source: DN
