Moscow - Saba:
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed on Wednesday that the presence of NATO forces on Ukrainian territory under any flag and in any capacity, including peacekeeping forces, poses a threat to Russia, and that Moscow will not accept this "under any circumstances."
"This is not what is required to end the war that the West is waging against us through the Ukrainians, with the direct participation of their forces. We know that. If NATO expansion, at least by Trump (US President), is one of the root causes, then the presence of NATO forces, under any banner and in any capacity, on Ukrainian territory also poses a threat to us," Lavrov said in an interview with American bloggers Andrew Napolitano, Larry Johnson, and Mario Noval, according to Sputnik.
Lavrov stated that Moscow "will not accept under any circumstances" the presence of NATO forces on Ukrainian territory.
"No one talks to us under any circumstances. They keep saying there is no solution to Ukraine without Ukraine, but they are doing everything against Russia without Russia. When US President Donald Trump was asked about peacekeeping forces, he replied that it was too early to discuss this, but usually the consent of all parties is required. Why would we agree to a peacekeeping force or any peacekeeping group? They want this force to consist of countries that have declared us an enemy. Will they come there as peacekeepers?"
"Europe and Britain want all this to continue. The way they received Volodymyr Zelensky in London after the Washington scandal shows their desire to escalate the situation and that they are preparing something to push the Trump administration to take aggressive action against Russia. We are taking a philosophical approach to this matter. We know what we are doing," he added.
Lavrov stated that Trump had previously emphasized that one of the root causes of the conflict over Ukraine was NATO expansion, which created a threat to Russia's security.
"By the way, in light of the new realities that followed January 20, I would like to emphasize that Ukraine's importance to Russia's security far outweighs Greenland's importance to the United States' security... I have already mentioned the erasure of the Russian language, media, and culture; the banning of opposition parties and some of their media outlets, even though they write and broadcast in Ukrainian; the murders and disappearances of journalists; not to mention the war crimes committed against the people of Donbas immediately after the coup."
Lavrov noted that Ukraine would have remained within its 1991 borders, excluding Crimea and part of the Donbas region, had it implemented its initiatives. He noted that his country knows what to do regarding the Ukrainian crisis to avoid any settlement that could endanger people's lives.
Lavrov emphasized that the United States will not withdraw from NATO, despite US President Donald Trump's demand that the alliance's member states increase their spending to maintain American protection.
Regarding the Iranian nuclear agreement, Lavrov stressed that Moscow supports resuming dialogue on the Iranian nuclear agreement in the format approved by the Security Council, with the participation of the United States, Russia, Britain, France, Germany, China, and Iran.
Regarding the possibility of a US-Russia-China meeting on nuclear weapons, Lavrov said, "We are open to any format based on respect."
He added, "US President Donald Trump expressed his desire to hold a three-nation meeting between the United States, China, and Russia to discuss nuclear weapons and security issues. We are open to any format based on mutual respect, equality, and the rejection of preconceived solutions. If our Chinese friends are interested in this, the decision is theirs."
Regarding the Syrian issue, Lavrov expressed his hope that a national unity government would be formed in Syria, as the situation remains dangerous.
"Winners and national unity are two different things. I hope that a national unity government will be formed in Syria, despite the current dangerous situation there."
Lavrov concluded that these persecutions blatantly violate the UN Charter, a fact Russia has reported on the same UN platform.
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