In South Africa on Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the conflict in Ukraine is no longer a “hybrid war” between Russia and the West but is turning into a “real war.”
At a press conference with his South African counterpart, Lavrov said the Western had been preparing a “war” against Russia for a long time. He claimed the goal was “to destroy everything Russian, from language to culture, that has been in Ukraine for centuries and to prohibit people from speaking their mother tongue.”
Lavrov and other Russian officials have repeatedly made clear that they believe they are not just fighting Ukrainian forces but also the US and NATO. Ukrainian officials have also reflected this view, with Ukraine’s defense minister recently saying Ukrainians are “shedding blood” for a “NATO mission.”
Lavrov on Monday also blamed the US and its allies for the failure of peace talks that were held between Kyiv and Moscow at the beginning of the war. “It is well known that we supported the proposal of the Ukrainian side to negotiate early in the special military operation and by the end of March, the two delegations agreed on the principle to settle this conflict,” Lavrov said.
Russian and Ukrainian officials met in Istanbul in March 2022 and followed up with virtual talks. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited Kyiv shortly after the Istanbul talks and urged President Volodymyr Zelensky not to negotiate with Russia.
According to a report in the Ukrainian newspaper Ukrainska Pravda, Johnson also said even if Kyiv was ready to sign a deal, its Western backers were not. The report said that Johnson’s visit was a factor in the negotiations ultimately failing.
“It is well known and was published openly that our American, British, and some European colleagues told Ukraine that it is too early to deal, and the arrangement which was almost agreed was never revisited by the Kyiv regime,” Lavrov said.
As things stand today, the chances of peace talks are highly unlikely as Ukraine is demanding a Russian withdrawal and war crimes tribunals before negotiations can even happen. For their part, Russian officials insist they’re open to talks but say any deal must recognize the territories Vladimir Putin annexed as Russian territory.
The aging imperial lion still has toxic fangs.
The current conflict is a rekindling of the “red” vs “white” civil war after 1918 but with much more powerful external military and financial support for the “whites”. Zelenskyy is the Denikin/Wrangel of today. The “red” side does not have Leon Trotsky.
This was basically a hostage situation since 2014. The rapist Uncle Shame is holding Ukraine hostage and Russia is trying to negotiate. At some point Kremlin will have to realize that the safest path is to simply kill the terrorist.
The USA will have to focus on the USA soon. Increased firearm shootings are turning the country into a wild wild um uncivilized mess.
Well don’t expect the Globalist politicians here in the U.S. to deal with such trivialities as violence, border security and internal matters, it’s all Ukraine, all the time!
They will deal with it through more militarized police, sadly.
When you don’t see the heads of any US or European states on camera. You should worry, they are hiding in their damn bunkers.
During the early 1980s the Soviet Union was somehow able to locate multiple fallout shelters within the USA almost overnight. One of the largest underground shelters was in Virginia beneath a hotel. Intel was leaked to the Soviet Union, you think?
It’s a different times now. These heads will be worthless when their slaves get killed off.
I think you mean the Green Briar Hotel in West VA.
I have amnesia. I forget most things.
Yes, i know, it is the same when Putin is off cameras.
You dont like war? Dont fight. If you are fighting stop, talk…duh. but its on the agenda of $
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/9c8de4239b191f9f81d8030b87af8151200f5c5ea9ae33b0b4ca4a3f880fec3c.jpg
Putin is pure evil and Russia is an authoritarian country to a point that ordinary people are afraid to even speak against Putin.
Putin has vowed to restore the Soviet Union, which he claims was dismantled by the West at a time of weakness.
The “Old Soviet Union” comprised the entire territory of the last Tsarist Empire, except for Finland which was granted independence by Lenin almost immediately after the Bolsheviks came into power in 2017.
I doubt that Putin intends to take Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania by force because they are NATO members.
The “Stans” which are not within the current Confederation can wait. They are not now and are unlikely to ever become NATO members.
Then there are those three pesky states in the Caucasus where Putin has tried his hands but without any success.
For Putin the Ukraine remains the missing crown jewel. At the very least it must not become a member of NATO.
Eliminating all Russo-Japanese conflicts, all wars against Russia and the Soviet Union were carried out on their Western flanks and the current war is in that category too. It is a continuation of “red” vs. “white” with much more powerful external military and financial support for “white” than in 1918-1922.
Could you tell me the direct quote where Putin vows to restore the Soviet Union? Your source please.
“Lavrov on Monday also blamed the US and its allies for the failure of peace talks that were held between Kyiv and Moscow at the beginning of the war. “
Well Mr Lavrov, you should blame yourself and Putin for the disaster you have created.
The full scale invasion of Ukraine was your choice.
Why don’t you get the little book, “How the West Brought War to Ukraine” by Benjamin Abelow and read it to get yourself educated on who is responsible for the war in Ukraine?