The US is unwilling to end the Ukrainian conflict, which is why it keeps talking about resolving it based on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “formula”, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov alleged during an interview with the International Affairs magazine.
“The problem, however, is that the US has no intention of ending the conflict. As I have already said, its officially declared goal is to inflict ‘a strategic defeat’ on Russia, and weaken us as much as possible in military, economic and political terms. This is why Washington keeps saying that talks on resolving the issue should be held only on the Ukrainians’ terms, that is, based on Vladimir Zelensky’s notorious ‘peace formula’”, the foreign minister emphasised.
The foreign minister viewed, “We are sympathetic to the fact that in the face of external pressure being exerted on them, our partners are forced to exercise caution. The mutual trade and economic obligations that exist between us continue to be fulfilled, since they meet the interests of the parties and do not violate international law.”
Lavrov noted that it was “a pointless categorical position”. “We can’t be expected to agree that our core security interests will be infringed on and Russian and Russian-speaking people in our new territories and areas controlled by the Ukrainian armed forces will continue to face arbitrariness”, Lavrov continued.
“Another thing the West needs to realise is that Russia will defend its people and its vital interests by all means. It’s best if our opponents realise as soon as possible that a confrontation with Russia will lead to nothing, and move to adopt more civilised, political and diplomatic methods to ensure a balance of interests” Lavrov added.
The Russian foreign minister also emphasised that in December 2021, Moscow had made “a very serious effort” to convey its concerns to the West, sending them two draft agreements concerning security guarantees with the US and measures to ensure security with NATO member states.
“However, our initiative was arrogantly rejected right away. Instead of engaging in talks, they focused their efforts on increasing the production of weapons and ammunition to be provided to Ukraine, triggering a further escalation of regional tensions”, Lavrov concluded.
At the same time, the Ukrainian authorities are preying not only on their own people but also on US taxpayers, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a statement.
“The Kiev elite is preying not only on its fellow citizens but also on American taxpayers. Not so long ago, US presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pointed out in an interview that Washington’s spending on Ukraine aid stood at $130 billion, while 15 million Americans did not have medical insurance and 30 million people in the US lacked food stamps (sic)”, Zakharova noted.
