Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated that despite US claims made at the G20 Summit, other countries are coming to realize the fact that the Ukraine conflict had been provoked by Washington.
The remarks come as Lavrov told Sputnik during a G20 press conference in Bali that the EU and NATO have been involved in a hybrid war in Ukraine for a long time.
He said that the West continues to supply Ukraine with weapons and supports it with militarily means even though European leaders are talking about the need to reach a peaceful settlement.
"The European Union and NATO have long been hybrid participants in a hybrid conflict, a hybrid war in Ukraine — this includes arms supplies, the training of military personnel […]. As for the specific decision of the EU to launch this military training mission, there is some kind of dual personality, because in parallel with this, [French President Emmanuel] Macron and [German Chancellor Olaf] Scholz, and other leaders of European countries talk about the need to move to a peaceful settlement. Some kind of politically split personality,” Lavrov said.
The minister added that the West also provides Ukraine with intelligence, and that US officers participate in determining military targets. According to him, “this is the work of instructors on the ground, not to mention thousands of mercenaries.”
Speaking to reporters, Lavrov also said that French President Emmanuel Macron had confirmed his intention to continue contacts with Russian President Vladimir Putin in order to find ways to resolve the Ukraine conflict.
“As I have said, today I had a brief conversation with President Macron, who confirmed his desire to continue communicating with President Putin to find some agreements that would help resolve the whole situation, as he has put it”, the Russian foreign minister pointed out.
The top Russian diplomat said that Moscow is not in the know about the US preparing negotiations on Ukraine.
"As for reports that the Americans are preparing [such] negotiations, these rumors constantly pop up and then disappear with the same success, we no longer react to this," Lavrov emphasized.
Lavrov added that Moscow wants to see “concrete evidence that the West is seriously interested in disciplining [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky and explaining to him that this cannot continue and that it is not in the interests of the Ukrainian people”.
The Russian foreign minister noted that the 20-minute pre-recorded speech by Zelensky broadcast at the G20 Summit indicates that "he is not listening to any Western advice yet."
This comes after Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Zelensky's G20 remarks confirm Kiev’s unwillingness to negotiate with Russia. Peskov underscored that Russia had repeatedly indicated that it is ready for negotiations, but that Ukrainian authorities had mposed a ban on the talks at the legislative level.
In his address to the G20 Summit, Zelensky, in particular, called for a prisoner exchange on an “all-for-all” basis. In addition, the Ukrainian leader put forward a number of conditions, including the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, the fulfillment of which he claimed should end the Ukraine conflict “justly, [and] on the basis of the UN Charter and international law.”
On February 24, Moscow launched a special military operation in Ukraine after the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, which have since become part of Russia, appealed for help in defending them from Kiev's attacks.