Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made several significant points in an hour and half interview with four Russian radio stations. This first question was whether there would be war in Ukraine, now that the talks with the West are deadlocked. He answered “If it is up to the Russian Federation, there will be no war,” he declared."We do not want wars, but we won’t allow our interests to be flagrantly stepped on and ignored.”
As for the response of the United States and NATO to Russia’s proposals for written guarantees of Russia’s security, Lavrov pointed out that Washington’s response is “a model of diplomatic decency.” However, by contrast the response of NATO to the Russian draft documents “is so ideologized, it breathes the exclusivity of the Alliance, its special mission, its special purpose.” He said he almost felt embarrassed for those who drafted such a document.
On the substance of the U.S. response, Lavrov said Russia welcomed the willingness expressed in America – response to reopen the discussion on arms control, military exercises, etc. – but the response did not address the Russia’s security issues. He reiterated that the response continued to ignore the principle laid out in the 2010 Astana and 1999 Istanbul declarations on the indivisibility of security, and that Russia will continue to hold the West to these principles which they have agreed to, and continue to violate. Lavrov went on that “If they insist that they won’t change their position, we won’t change our position either.”
The last question was a repeat of the first: Do you think there will be a war against Russia? Lavrov replied, again, if it is up to Russia there will be no war. He went on to say that there are those who want to create provocations. Arms are being delivered to the Ukrainian army that are getting into the hands of militias that are not under the control of Kiev. He asked why the United States, U.K. and other European countries are withdrawing their diplomats and citizens from Ukraine, when Kiev has not asked them to? Do they know something that we don’t know?
He also said that while Biden told Putin at their summit that the United States wants to assure that the Minsk agreements are implemented, and France and Germany said the same at the Normandy Four meeting with Russia and Ukraine in Paris, no one wants to pressure Ukraine to stop violating the agreement.
Hosted by Radio Sputnik, questions were by journalists from Radio Sputnik, Radio Govorit Moskva, Radio Komsomolskaya Pravda and Radio Echo Moskvy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zosrFljzFfU
