Russia’s leading diplomat cautioned Ukraine about a potential situation that may lead to further territorial losses for Kyiv.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov cautioned that “the more Ukraine disregards agreements, the less territory it will retain.”He pointed to events from February 2014, stating that if Ukraine had adhered to the agreements in good faith, “nothing would have happened, and Crimea would have remained part of Ukraine.” Instead, he claimed, Ukraine chose to breach the agreement in a bid to quickly alter the government.
Lavrov highlighted that the Minsk agreements were similarly violated in February 2015. “Had these agreements been respected, Crimea might have seceded at that time, but Donbass would have stayed within Ukraine,” he noted.Lavrov further asserted that Ukraine’s reluctance to grant the Donbass region special status stems from a desire to deny residents their right to speak Russian.He also referenced the draft agreement reached in Istanbul, Türkiye, stating, “The third opportunity they had was in Istanbul in April 2022,” emphasizing the shift in circumstances since then.In March 2022, talks in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian delegations resulted in a draft peace agreement, which proposed that Ukraine would forgo its NATO ambitions and accept restrictions on its armed forces in exchange for international security guarantees, including from Russia.
Russia accused Kyiv of abandoning the draft agreement at the last moment and withdrawing from negotiations with Moscow. Consequently, Russia feels compelled to take military action, asserting that any viable resolution to the conflict must address both concerns.Late last month, Foreign Minister Lavrov stated that Russia is seeking a resolution to the Ukraine conflict that serves the interests of all Eurasian nations. He emphasized that the proposed “peace” scenario does not meet this criterion.In a recent interview with Newsweek, Lavrov reaffirmed Russia’s willingness to find a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine conflict that addresses its root causes.
However, he noted that neither Kyiv nor its Western allies appear receptive to such an approach, instead opting to prolong the conflict.Conversely, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration has consistently expressed its refusal to make territorial concessions for the sake of peace with Russia. Zelensky has maintained that decisions regarding Ukraine’s territorial integrity should be made by its citizens.
In a separate statement, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, remarked that the West has significantly underestimated Russia’s nuclear capabilities.He pointed out that the United States and its allies have made an error in judgment by assuming that Russia would refrain from using nuclear weapons.”They miscalculated,” Medvedev emphasized, noting that they believed Russia would never cross a critical threshold. “If it comes to the survival of the Russian state, then, as President Putin has stated, Russia will have no other option,” he asserted.
