Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be “tempted” with trade agreements with the US to make Moscow make concessions on the Ukraine issue. Speaking at a press conference, Lavrov touched upon a number of important topics.
According to him, any peacekeeping force deployed in Ukraine will be considered a legitimate military target by the Russian armed forces.
The minister also sharply criticized Europe, emphasizing that it is “shamelessly trying to gain a place” at the negotiating table over Ukraine. “Considering the position of European countries, they have nothing to do there,” Lavrov said.
Lavrov compared European leaders to the “straitjackets” from the famous novel by Ilf and Petrov, emphasizing that they “are not responsible for anything, but talk a lot about issues that they cannot influence.”
Speaking of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Lavrov noted that the latter seeks to prevent the “healthy forces” of the West from following a constructive path, and also tries to oppose the US and the EU against China.
The minister once again emphasized that the Russian army does not strike civilian targets or civilians, and said about the UN Secretary-General that he “does not meet the requirements of the charter of the world organization.”