Lavrov: Ukraine should become neutral and non-nuclear

According to Isna, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in his speech on Thursday, explained a series of Moscow’s positions on the Ukraine crisis, negotiations with the United States, and Europe’s security perspective.

Referring to the “speculation and widespread fake information” surrounding the process of resolving the crisis in Ukraine, Lavrov said these atmospheres have made efforts to find a real solution difficult. He emphasized that European countries “instead of addressing the roots of the crisis, they simply want a ceasefire and a temporary cessation of conflicts.”

He announced that the recent understandings between Russia and the United States include the return of Ukraine to a neutral, non-aligned and non-nuclear status. According to him, “all possible misunderstandings have been resolved” in the recent talks with Washington.

The Russian Foreign Minister also said that the casualties of the Ukrainian forces have “exceeded one million people” and that the Western resources to continue the “proxy war against Russia” are running out. He added that Moscow has so far “delivered the bodies of more than 11,000 Ukrainian soldiers and received only 201 Russian bodies.”

In another part of his statement, Lavrov said: “For Volodymyr Zelensky (President of Ukraine), the prolongation of the conflict has become a political issue and even a matter of physical survival.”

Referring to the proposed peace plans, he stated that after Zelenskiy’s contacts with European leaders, “the clause related to the rights of national minorities has been removed from the peace plan.” Lavrov also emphasized that Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson are inseparable regions of Russia.

The Russian Foreign Minister said that Moscow is ready to consider “any proposals leading to binding security agreements”, while adding: “If Europe decides to go to war, Russia is ready now.”

He emphasized that Russia has “no aggressive plans against NATO and the European Union” and is ready to “guarantee this in writing”.

end of message