TASS
MINSK, 25 November (BelTA) - European countries have failed to use their chances to participate the Ukrainian settlement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the media, BelTA has learned.
“Every time progress was made, the agreements (whether interim or more stable, long-term) were derailed. Now, our European colleagues loudly declare that there will be no new 'Minsk,' that nothing can be decided without Europe because it directly concerns them… Well, Europe has failed on all counts since 2014,” Sergey Lavrov said.
The Russian foreign minister stated that it was Europe that destroyed the Minsk Agreements, a fact openly admitted by France and Germany. “It was Europe, indeed in the person of [former UK Prime Minister] Boris Johnson, who dissuaded Zelensky from signing the agreements that the Ukrainian delegation itself proposed in Istanbul in April 2022,” Sergey Lavrov said.
“Europe now says 'how dare you do anything without us'. But you already had your chances, folks. You didn't use those chances, you simply squandered them,” the Russian top diplomat stated.
Sergey Lavrov drew attention to the statements made by French President Emmanuel Macron. “Macron made an extremely aggressive statement today, saying that Russia and its demands were the only problem where Ukraine is concerned, that Russia is in a state of strategic confrontation with Europe and that they should make it clear they will never surrender to a force threatening them. He said that he plans to send troops to Kiev and Odessa once the issue is resolved,” Sergey Lavrov said.
“When Europeans say: 'We must stand with Ukraine until the end, because Ukraine is fighting for our European values,' this is the acknowledgement of guilt. It means Europe is encouraging Nazism, which has been legalized in Ukraine; both the ideology and the practice of Nazism are legalized,” Sergey Lavrov noted. “It means Europe is encouraging racism, which has taken the form of a legislative ban on the Russian language and everything Russian in general (culture, media) and a ban on the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. These are the European values that Ukraine is defending on Europe's behalf.”
“Every time progress was made, the agreements (whether interim or more stable, long-term) were derailed. Now, our European colleagues loudly declare that there will be no new 'Minsk,' that nothing can be decided without Europe because it directly concerns them… Well, Europe has failed on all counts since 2014,” Sergey Lavrov said.
The Russian foreign minister stated that it was Europe that destroyed the Minsk Agreements, a fact openly admitted by France and Germany. “It was Europe, indeed in the person of [former UK Prime Minister] Boris Johnson, who dissuaded Zelensky from signing the agreements that the Ukrainian delegation itself proposed in Istanbul in April 2022,” Sergey Lavrov said.
“Europe now says 'how dare you do anything without us'. But you already had your chances, folks. You didn't use those chances, you simply squandered them,” the Russian top diplomat stated.
Sergey Lavrov drew attention to the statements made by French President Emmanuel Macron. “Macron made an extremely aggressive statement today, saying that Russia and its demands were the only problem where Ukraine is concerned, that Russia is in a state of strategic confrontation with Europe and that they should make it clear they will never surrender to a force threatening them. He said that he plans to send troops to Kiev and Odessa once the issue is resolved,” Sergey Lavrov said.
“When Europeans say: 'We must stand with Ukraine until the end, because Ukraine is fighting for our European values,' this is the acknowledgement of guilt. It means Europe is encouraging Nazism, which has been legalized in Ukraine; both the ideology and the practice of Nazism are legalized,” Sergey Lavrov noted. “It means Europe is encouraging racism, which has taken the form of a legislative ban on the Russian language and everything Russian in general (culture, media) and a ban on the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. These are the European values that Ukraine is defending on Europe's behalf.”
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