Russia hopes West should stop promoting unipolar world after operation in Ukraine — Lavrov

MUSCAT, May 11. (ST)- Moscow by no means wishes to see a war in Europe, while the West keeps talking about the need for defeating Russia over Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a news conference on Wednesday following talks with his Omani counterpart Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Al Busaidi.

 

“We are greatly worried by the risk of a war in Europe. We do not wish to see it happen at all, but I would like to draw your attention to the fact that it is the West that keeps talking persistently about inflicting a defeat upon Russia. It is up to you to derive conclusions,” he said.

 

“The goals that we seek in Ukraine are pretty clear – preventing violations of the rights of the Russian and Russian-speaking population of Donbass, which was under a threat of extermination by the regime in Kiev, and ruling out the emergence of a stronghold on the Ukrainian territory that the West might use to pose military threats to Russia,” Lavrov said.

 

Asked about Russia’s strategy in the struggle against a monopolar world, Lavrov said that it was essential “to comply with obligations under the UN Charter, including the pledge to respect the principle of the sovereign equality of states, to forget colonial habits and to abandon neo-imperialist sentiment.”.

 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has arrived for talks with the Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Sputnik radio station on Wednesday.

 

“The Russian foreign minister’s car has arrived, he is getting out of the vehicle and is on his way for talks,” Zakharova said.

 

In her Telegram channel, Zakharova also said that ahead of the meeting with the Sultan, Lavrov held negotiations with Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Bin Hamad Bin Hamood Al Busaidi.

 

The situation at the line of engagement in Donbass escalated on February 17. The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) reported the most massive bombardments by the Ukrainian military in recent months, which damaged civilian infrastructure and caused civilian casualties.

 

On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced recognizing the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. Russia recognized the Donbass republics in accordance with the DPR and LPR constitutions within the boundaries of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions as of the beginning of 2014.

 

Russian President Putin said in a televised address on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in Ukraine. The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories, noting that the operation was aimed at the denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine.

 

Compiled by: Basma Qaddour