West Seeks to Prolong Conflict in Ukraine as Much as Possible to Weaken Russia: Shoigu
12:54 GMT 21.12.2022 (Updated: 13:11 GMT 21.12.2022)
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The West seeks to prolong military operations in Ukraine as much as possible in order to weaken Russia, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Wednesday.
"We are particularly concerned about the buildup of NATO’s forward presence near the borders of Russia and Belarus, as well as the desire of the West to prolong military operations in Ukraine as much as possible in order to weaken our country," Shoigu said at a collegium meeting at the Defense Ministry.
Russian armed forces continue to deliver precision strikes targeting the Ukrainian military command and control system, military enterprises and related facilities, and destroy the military potential of Kiev, Sergei Shoigu said.
"Russian troops continue to destroy military targets, inflict massive high-precision strikes on the military command and control system, enterprises of the military-industrial complex and related facilities, including energy. The supply chain of foreign weapons is being destroyed, the military potential of Ukraine is being crushed," Shoigu said.
Russian servicemen are being confronted by the joint forces of the West during its military operation in Ukraine, Shoigu said.
"Today, in Ukraine, Russian military is being confronted by the joint Western forces. The United States and its allies are pumping the Kiev regime with weapons, training military personnel, providing [Ukraine with] intelligence information, sending advisers and mercenaries, and waging an information and sanctions war against us," Shoigu said.
Russia is always open to constructive peace talks to settle the conflict in Ukraine, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu added.
"We are taking action to save the population from genocide and terror. Russia is always open to constructive peace talks," Shoigu said.
The 2014 coup in Kiev funded by the West that brought anti-Russian forces to power has caused the current conflict in Ukraine, Sergei Shoigu stressed.
"After the revelations of [ex-German Chancellor Angels] Merkel, [ex-Ukrainian President Petro] Poroshenko and other politicians about the true goals of the Minsk agreements, it became obvious to everyone that Russia was not the source of the conflict in Ukraine. The reason is the coup d'etat in Kiev financed by the West in 2014, which brought anti-Russian forces to power and divided the fraternal peoples. This provoked an armed confrontation in Donbass," Shoigu said.
"After the revelations of [ex-German Chancellor Angels] Merkel, [ex-Ukrainian President Petro] Poroshenko and other politicians about the true goals of the Minsk agreements, it became obvious to everyone that Russia was not the source of the conflict in Ukraine. The reason is the coup d'etat in Kiev financed by the West in 2014, which brought anti-Russian forces to power and divided the fraternal peoples. This provoked an armed confrontation in Donbass," Shoigu said.
Ukraine resorts to prohibited methods of confrontation, including terrorist attacks and contract killings, shelling of civilians with heavy weapons, as well as nuclear blackmail, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.
"The Ukrainian leadership resorts to prohibited methods of confrontation, including terrorist attacks and contract killings, shelling civilians with heavy weapons. Western countries try not to notice all this, as well as elements of nuclear blackmail, for example, provocations against the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and scenarios for preparing the so-called dirty nuclear bomb," Shoigu said at a collegium meeting at the Defense Ministry.
"The Ukrainian leadership resorts to prohibited methods of confrontation, including terrorist attacks and contract killings, shelling civilians with heavy weapons. Western countries try not to notice all this, as well as elements of nuclear blackmail, for example, provocations against the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and scenarios for preparing the so-called dirty nuclear bomb," Shoigu said at a collegium meeting at the Defense Ministry.
3 December 2022, 17:03 GMT
The United States seeks to use the situation around Ukraine to maintain global dominance, Shoigu added.
"It is clear that the current situation is beneficial primarily to the United States, which seeks to use it to maintain global dominance and weaken other countries, including its allies in Europe," Shoigu said at a collegium meeting at the Defense Ministry.
"It is clear that the current situation is beneficial primarily to the United States, which seeks to use it to maintain global dominance and weaken other countries, including its allies in Europe," Shoigu said at a collegium meeting at the Defense Ministry.
The Russian armed forces are taking comprehensive measures to prevent civilian deaths in Ukraine, Sergei Shoigu said.
“In this context, comprehensive measures for excluding deaths among the civilian population are being taken,” he said at a collegium meeting at the Defense Ministry.
He also noted that the Russian army had been conducting precise air strikes against the military command and control system of Ukraine, enterprises of the Ukrainian defense industry complex and other related facilities.
