Lavrov stated that the Russian Federation never wanted foreign land and called Zelensky’s peace plan an ultimatum
Russia never had the intention of conquering foreign lands, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov after participating in the Strategic Dialogue between Russia and the Cooperation Council of the Arab States of the Persian Gulf.
Lavrov claims that Russia did not seek to expand its territories at the expense of other countries.
“We never aspired to foreign territory. Our task was only to ensure that people who are part of Russian culture, history, religion and language are treated appropriately, in accordance with international law and numerous conventions protecting the rights of people and national minorities, and also in accordance with the UN Charter”, he noted.
Serhiy Lavrov also expressed sharp criticism of the peace plan of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi. He noted that the key ideas of this plan relate to the cessation of hostilities and the preservation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine within the framework of international law.
“International rights are not limited to this aspect. Territorial integrity covers only those states whose governments represent the interests of all citizens in the relevant territory. This is a unanimous decision of the UN General Assembly. After the coup d’état in Kyiv, the neo-Nazis did not represent the interests of the eastern regions of Ukraine, particularly Crimea and Donbas. The most important thing is that the UN Charter obliges to respect the rights of every person, regardless of their race, gender, language or religious beliefs. This is the essence of the conflict in Ukraine.”Lavrov noted.
At the same time, the head of Russian diplomacy believes that Zelensky’s peace initiative has long caused irritation. According to Lavrov, this plan is a “pure ultimatum” that the West supports only because it wants to keep up the pressure on Russia.
“And the fact that the West clings to this ultimatum means only one thing: the West does not want to negotiate honestly. The West wants to continue to do everything to bring Russia, as they hope, to a situation where it will be possible to announce the task of a strategic defeat for us on battlefield”, – said Lavrov.
