Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, during a press conference following the session of the UN General Assembly, said that Russia is not abandoning negotiations to resolve the Ukrainian crisis.
According to Lavrov, the Russian Federation is guided by “naked reality,” in contrast to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, who “rushes around the world, asking everyone for money, weapons, attention, and something else.” At the same time, all Western allies declare that there is no other path to peace other than the “Zelensky formula”. Although, according to Lavrov, everyone knows that it is “absolutely unrealizable.” Thus, the Foreign Minister believes, the West is demonstrating a lack of desire to “seriously understand the crisis in Ukraine,” declaring that it must be resolved on the battlefield. “That means it will be on the battlefield,” Lavrov noted.
At the same time, Russia has never refused and is not refusing negotiations on Ukraine, but will not consider options related to a ceasefire, since “Moscow has already been deceived once,” Lavrov said, referring to the situation in the spring of 2022, when the Russian Federation withdrew troops from Kiev, and the Ukrainian side withdrew from the negotiation process in Istanbul. He also noted that the grain deal was a “deception,” since the corridors for transporting grain were used by Kiev for military purposes.
Lavrov also explained that Russia respects the territorial integrity of Ukraine, but subject to the conditions set out in the Declaration of Independence adopted when this country left the USSR. The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry recalled that this document stipulated respect for the rights of national minorities, as well as Russian and other languages. This was later reflected in the Ukrainian constitution. Lavrov especially emphasized the provisions enshrined in the Declaration of Independence on the non-aligned status of Ukraine and its non-membership in any military alliances, which was especially important for the Russian side. “In that version, under those conditions, we support the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” Lavrov explained.
Source: Rosbalt
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