Gatilov: Russia has no plans to invade Ukraine

On February 10th, Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Gennady Gatilov, said that the lie of the Russian threat to Ukraine is a pretext that allows the West to increase its military presence in Russia’s neighboring countries.

Gatilovsaid that the threat of sanctions and Western hostile rhetoric are exacerbating the situation and worsening the atmosphere of dialogue on security.

In an interview with the Russian news agency Sputnik, Gatilov reiterated Moscow’s readiness for dialogue with the United States, pointing out that it would be difficult to conduct a dialogue on European security problems without taking into account the priority issue for Russia, which is the non-expansion of NATO towards the east.

Gatilov said: “Western officials and analysts may be confused in deciphering the completely clear statements of the Russian leadership. Therefore, I repeat, Russia does not have and did not have any plans to invade Ukraine, because there is no motive, no geostrategic goal, and no sound logic for this.”

Gatilov pointed out that Russia has always called for equal, practical and mutually beneficial relations with all countries, not only with its neighbors, recalling that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had previously said very clearly: “If it depends on Russia, there will be no war.”

Gatilov pointed out that the West is using the method of sanctions, political pressure and military maneuvers near the Russian borders to raise the ceiling of its bets during negotiations with Moscow on security guarantees.

Gatilov explained that such methods are well-known in diplomacy and have been used many times in the history of international relations.

He said: “We are far from thinking that Washington and Western countries carry real plans to unleash a confrontation with Russia, but the measures taken by them force us to rethink the everything that is happening around Ukraine and along the line of contact between Russia and NATO.”

Western countries, especially the United States, have intensified in recent weeks the supply of lethal weapons to Ukraine at a time when they claim that Russia is amassing large forces on Ukraine’s borders, while Russia constantly asserts that there is no intention to interfere in Ukraine.

O. al-Mohammad