Russian FM Lavrov: EU and UK prepare something to push Trump towards aggression against Russia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gave a lengthy interview to American bloggers Andrew Napolitano, Larry Johnson, and Mario Nawfal, in which he discussed the Russia-Ukraine conflict, possible solutions, and relations with the US. According to him, the Russian side knows what needs to be done in the context of a peaceful settlement to avoid a dangerous compromise that would put many lives at risk.

Photo: mid.ru by Press Service of the Russian Foreign Ministry, https://creativecommons.org/public-domain/pdm/

Sergey Lavrov

Lavrov on the Rights and Fate of People in Ukraine

Lavrov emphasized that the issue concerns the rights and fate of people not only in the liberated territories but also in areas under Kyiv's control.

"Most of them speak Russian," he noted.

The minister recalled that before the start of the special military operation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky divided people into "just people" and "specimens." He also advised those who considered themselves part of Russian culture to leave Ukraine and move to Russian territory so their grandchildren could have a future.

"In the context of this specific crisis, we know what needs to be done to avoid a compromise that would put people's fate at risk," Lavrov stated.

Protecting People as Russia’s Priority

Lavrov stressed that protecting people whom Kyiv authorities have "deprived of their history" remains a priority for Russia.

"Territories matter only because people live there. Those who live on these lands, which Zelensky wants to reclaim, are descendants of those who built Odesa and other cities, ports, and roads over centuries, who developed these lands and were connected to their history," he said, adding that these people were raised in Russian culture and are part of it. Our conscience is transparent and pure. Not because we rarely use it, but because we have been burned many times," Sergey Lavrov said.

Lavrov on Ukraine’s Borders and Compromises

Lavrov argued that had Ukraine pursued compromises and implemented its own initiatives, it could have retained its 1991 borders, excluding Crimea and parts of Donbas. He stressed that Ukrainian authorities should have adhered to the Minsk agreements and recalled the Istanbul negotiations of 2022.

"Every time the Ukrainians deceive, they lose and forfeit territories," Lavrov stated.

Lavrov on Western Intentions and NATO Peacekeepers

Lavrov expressed the belief that the UK and European countries are preparing something to push US President Donald Trump toward aggressive actions against Russia. He pointed to the way Zelensky was received in London following the Oval Office scandal with Trump as an indicator of European partners' desire to prolong the conflict.

Discussing the UK and France's idea of deploying peacekeepers to Ukraine, Lavrov warned that the presence of NATO troops, "under any flag and in any capacity, including peacekeeping," would be a threat to Russia. He called this condition for ending the conflict unacceptable for Moscow, emphasizing that it is not a solution to ending the war. "Russia will not agree to this under any circumstances," Lavrov stressed.

Prospects for US-Russia Relations

Regarding current relations with the US, Lavrov noted that they have the potential to become normal.

"I think what is happening in the US now can be described as a return to normalcy. This is a return to normalcy as we understand it," he said, adding that since Russia is a Christian country, its values are "generally similar" to those of the new American leadership.

At the same time, Lavrov stated that the American side has also expressed positive sentiments about restoring relations.

Details

Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov (born 21 March 1950) is a Russian diplomat who has served as the foreign minister of Russia since 2004. He is the longest-serving Russian foreign minister since Andrei Gromyko during the Soviet Union. Lavrov was born in Moscow and graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) in 1972. He received his first Soviet diplomatic posting in Sri Lanka, and speaks fluent Sinhala, Dhivehi, English, and French, in addition to his native Russian. From 1981 to 1988 Lavrov held several posts in the Soviet Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York City. Starting in the late 1980s he was deputy director and then director of the Foreign Ministry's Department of International Organizations before becoming a Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1992. Lavrov was the permanent representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations from 1994 to 2004. His tenure in that role coincided with several crises, namely the Kosovo War and the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Lavrov gained a reputation for assertively defending Russia's foreign policy interests and was considered to be the most influential member of the UN Security Council. He was made the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs in March 2004.