Surprising statement made by Sergei Lavrov: “Russia has never had the intention to occupy Crimea or Donbas”
Serghei Lavrov. Credit Line: Vyacheslav Prokofyev / Zuma Press / Profimedia
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia has never tried to occupy Ukrainian territories, but only wanted to protect the Russian people, according to Ukrainska Pravda.
“I want to emphasize again that we have never said that we just have to conquer some territories. Neither Crimea, Donbas, nor Novorossia (there is such a country, but so I call Ukraine no) that the territories have never been our goal,” said Lavrov.
Lavrov also claims that Moscow has “always wanted to protect the Russians who have been living in the mentioned territories for hundreds of years.”
The head of Russian diplomacy also stated that, during the presidency of Volodimir Zelenski, Ukraine would “adopt laws meant to destroy the rights of Russian speakers.”
Russia invaded and busy Crimea and part of Donbas in 2014. In 2022, the Russian Federation triggered the large -scale invasion of Ukraine.
Territorial issues will be decided between Russia and Ukraine, Zelenski announces
Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski said on Monday, after discussions at the White House, that he is willing to meet directly with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to put an end to the invasion of Ukraine, CNN and Sky News reports. He also said that territorial issues will be decided between Russia and Ukraine.
“I confirmed-and all the European leaders supported me-that we are prepared for a bilateral meeting with Putin,” Zelenski told the Ukrainian press in front of the White House, after discussions with European leaders and Trump.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz made an unexpected comparison after the meeting.
“As for the question who will attend security guarantees … it is absolutely clear that the whole of Europe should participate,” Merz said, according to BBC News.
He also criticized the negotiation tactic of Moscow with Kiev.
“Russia's request for Kiev to give up the free parts of Donbas is, to put things in perspective, equivalent to the renunciation of the United States to Florida,” said the federal chancellor.
