The current situation in Ukraine is a direct result of the desire of the United States and West to rule and dominate the world, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov told India Today in an interview.
Lavrov told India Today: “The current events are rooted in the US and West’s desire to rule the world. They wanted to show the world there would be no multipolarity, only unipolarity, and created a springboard [Ukraine] against us [Russia] at our borders. They pumped arms into Ukraine.”
“The real reason [for the war] is the complacency of most countries after World War II. They violated their promises to Russian leadership and started moving Nato eastward after the Soviet Union disappeared. They said it’s a defensive alliance and not a threat to Russian security,” he said.
Lavrov elaborated further: “As early as 2003, for example, when the Ukraine had another presidential election, the West was publicly and bluntly demanding from Ukrainians – You must choose whether you are with Russia or with Europe. And then they started pulling Ukraine into the European Union Association Agreement. The agreement provided zero tariffs for Ukrainian goods in Europe and European goods in Ukraine.”
The foreign minister said that he had flagged Russia’s concerns on Ukraine’s agreement with the EU, while they had free a trade agreement with Russia.
“In 2013, the Ukrainian President asked the EU to postpone the signature of the association agreement and we suggested that the three of us—Russia, Ukraine and the EU — could sit together and discuss how to proceed.”
He claimed that the EU turned down the suggestion and allegedly told Russia that it was “none of their business”.
Responding to the allegations of war crimes committed by the Russian army, Lavrov said, “Our army has only been targeting military infrastructure and not civilians. The Ukrainian army has been using civilians as human shields.”
He added, “The West is not paying attention to our facts. They are placing attention on false things like what they said about Bucha. They brought up Bucha three days after the Ukrainian mayor of Bucha proudly said the city was back under their control.”
Lavrov said that Moscow’s campaign in Ukraine is entering a new stage. The statement follows Ukraine’s statements that Russia on Monday launched an offensive in the country’s eastern industrial heartland, Donbas.
Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces for eight years in the mostly Russian-speaking region and have declared two independent republics that have been recognised by Moscow. Lavrov emphasised that the Russian operation is aimed at the full liberation of the Donetsk and Luhansk republic.
‘JAISHANKAR A PATRIOT’
He called External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar “a real patriot of his country”, after the latter firmly stated that India will decide its foreign policy in light of the mounting pressure to cut down imports from Moscow amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
“EAM Jaishankar is a seasoned diplomat and a real patriot of his country for saying we will take a decision on the basis of what India believes it needs for development of its security. Not too many countries can say something like this.”
With agency inputs
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