War in Ukraine: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov explains what Russia wants in an interview

Negotiations yes. But Kiev has to meet Moscow’s demands. But, “the Russian army will take care of it.” Western politics carries “the risk of a direct armed confrontation between nuclear powers.” “USA he wants to destroy russia“. “The ball is in the field” of Kiev and Washington. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrovold fox of Muscovite diplomacy, said this and much more in an interview with the Tass news agency on the war in Ukraine.

“It’s not us who refuse to negotiate, it’s them,” said the foreign minister with high levels of cynicism when the condition to sit down to negotiate is simply unacceptable to the other side.

Moscow does not hide that it will not stop until it achieves its objectives, keeping at least the entire Donbass, while Kyiv does not see the possibility of negotiating until the Russians withdraw from all of its territory, including the Crimean peninsula. Furthermore, he is wary of Moscow’s words about preparing to seek a negotiated solution.

For Kyiv, Putin’s word no longer has value or credibility. Last week, the day after he said he was ready to “negotiate with all interested parties on acceptable solutions,” Putin bombed Ukrainian cities, killing civilians. in view of Christmas.

Lavrov noted that kyiv must meet the requirements of Moscow otherwise the Russian army will take care of it. These are not words that invite dialogue.

“The proposals for the demilitarization and denazification of the territories under the (Kiev) regime and the removal from there of threats to Russia’s security (…) are well known to the enemy,” he said.

And he added that now “the matter is simple”: requests are fulfilled “forever” or this is what the Russian military is all about.

As for the continuation of the conflict, “the ball is in the field” Kiev and Washington, which is behind the Ukrainian state, he noted.

A proxy war

He then alluded that Uncle Sam’s hand is behind this war. That is why he warned that the Western policy of containing Russia is extremely dangerous and carries the risk of a direct armed confrontation between nuclear powers.

“Irresponsible speculation” that Russia is going to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine is unceasingly developing in the West, Lavrov said in an interview with TASS. When in reality it was the hawks of the Kremlin who threatened a nuclear attack on more than one occasion. Moscow has also raised the issue of a dirty bomb on the table.

Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Chechnya and an ally of the Russian president, has even asked the Russian military to use it “low-yield nuclear weapons” in those areas of Ukraine where Moscow’s troops encounter difficulties.

But for Lavrov the threat comes from the other side of the Atlantic.

“Western policy of global containment of our country It’s extremely dangerous and carries the risk of precipitating (the situation) towards a direct armed confrontation of nuclear powers“, he stressed.

Moscow has already repeatedly argued that there can be no winners in a nuclear war, which should never be unleashed, Lavrov stressed.

In his view, Western politicians are sharpening their rhetoric on nuclear war and therefore it is they who should be asked whether this issue will continue in 2023.

Lavrov is convinced that the goal of the United States and NATO in Ukraine is to defeat Russia on the battlefield in order to weaken it or even destroy it.

“It’s no secret that the goal of the United States and its NATO allies is victory over Russia on the battlefield as a mechanism to significantly weaken or even destroy our country,” he said.​

He added that Russia’s opponents “are ready to do a lot” to achieve this goal.

Lavrov noted that the actions of the “collective West” and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, “who is under his control, confirm the global nature of the Ukrainian crisis.”

In his opinion, the main beneficiary of the conflict is the United States, which is trying to get the most out of it both economically and strategically-militarily.

“At the same time, Washington performs an important geopolitical task: break the traditional ties between Russia and Europe and subject their European satellites to even greater subordination,” he said.

Lavrov, however, made no mention of his February 24 invasion of Ukraine Europe united more than evereven as Moscow has tried to blackmail it by cutting off electricity supplies.

The Russian minister indicated that Moscow is open to discussing “security issues both in the context of Ukraine and at a broader strategic level”.

“We will wait until Washington ‘mature’ until you realize it the decline of his current policy and that there is no alternative to relations with us that are not based on mutual respect, on an equal footing and that do not take into consideration Russia’s legitimate interests,” he stressed.

With information from agencies

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