Russia Ukraine War: According to Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, Western powers have essentially engaged Moscow in direct combat by supporting Ukraine. “You can call it anything you want, but they are fighting with us, they are straight-up fighting with us. We call it a hybrid war but that doesn’t change things,” Lavrov told a news conference at the United Nations (UN).
Biden’s Avoidance of Direct Conflict
In order to avoid a direct conflict with Russia, a fellow nuclear power, US President Joe Biden has frequently stated that he will not send American soldiers. Additionally, his administration has taken a stand against Ukrainian incursions into Russian territory. But Lavrov emphasised that since Russia’s attack last year, Kyiv has received billions of dollars’ worth of Western military equipment, as well as assistance from the US and the UK in terms of information and the presence of Western military advisers. Westerners are “de facto fighting against us, using the hands and bodies of Ukrainians,” Lavrov said. “I think everybody present here who pays at least some attention to the situation in Ukraine knows very well that Americans, Britons and others are fighting, first of all, through providing more and more weapons,” he said.
Lavrov Highlights Presence of Western Mercenaries in Ukraine
He also mentioned the Western mercenaries operating in Ukraine. These fighters have gone to Ukraine on their own because the US and numerous other Western governments have prohibited its citizens from going there. Lavrov was in attendance at the UNGA, when attention was focused on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who had flown to New York to request more backing against the invasion. Zelenskyy demanded that Russia’s veto be removed during his speech to a special Security Council meeting on Wednesday. After the president of Ukraine had finished speaking, Lavrov arrived. “I watched it on TV. He seemed rather grim,” Lavrov said. “But I have my own affairs to attend to. We all knew what he was going to say, so why waste time?” he added.
A Ten-Point Roadmap for Conflict Resolution
Zelenskyy has advocated a ten-point plan for resolving the conflict, which calls for a full Russian departure from Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014, and the establishment of a special court to try war criminals. Zelensky’s initiative was mocked by Lavrov, who also criticised the US and the EU for supporting it. “It is not realistic and everybody understands this, but at the same time they say this is the only basis for negotiations,” Lavrov said. “We draw our conclusion that nobody wants to seriously show an understanding of what is happening,” he added. “Under these circumstances, if they say it’s on the battlefield, then fine, it’ll be on the battlefield,” he said of resolving the disagreement.
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