Lavrov Says Russia Is Not Interested by Territories
(MENAFN) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated that Russia holds no desire to annex Ukrainian territory, emphasizing instead that Moscow's priority is to shield ethnic Russians and Russian-speaking communities from alleged discrimination by authorities in Kiev.
Speaking during an interview with a news agency on Sunday, Lavrov responded to questions about whether halting Russia’s ongoing military actions was the sole compromise Moscow would consider.
"We don’t have any interest in territories. We have the biggest territory on Earth," Lavrov declared, asserting that Russia's primary concern lies with "the people who live on those lands, whose ancestors lived there for centuries."
He reinforced that the Kremlin’s mission is aimed at “removing any security threats to Russia coming from Ukrainian territory” and safeguarding the rights of those who identify with Russian heritage and culture.
Lavrov insisted that defending these communities from what he described as a "Nazi regime" necessitates granting them the right to determine their own political future.
"The only way to protect them against this Nazi regime is to give them the right to express their will," he emphasized.
While acknowledging Ukraine’s sovereignty, Lavrov argued that the country must be willing to "let people go" if they no longer wish to remain under Kiev's governance.
He further claimed that Ukrainian leadership has consistently sought to marginalize and label as "terrorists" those residing in five regions that voted to join Russia during referendums in 2014 and 2022.
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