(Reuters) – The US and its NATO allies along with Ukraine wish to defeat Russia “on the battlefield” to be able to destroy it, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the state TASS agency in remarks published Monday.
“The actions of the countries of the collective West and (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskiy under their control confirm the worldwide nature of the Ukrainian crisis,” Lavrov said.
“It is not any secret to anyone that the strategic goal of america and its NATO allies is to defeat Russia on the battlefield as a mechanism for significantly weakening and even destroying our country.”
President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, calling it a “special operation” to “denazify” and demilitarise Ukraine, which he said was a threat to Russia. Kyiv and its Western allies say Moscow’s invasion was merely an imperialist land grab.
The coalition of nations opposing Russia’s invasion in Ukraine – from NATO members to U.S. allies akin to Japan and Australia – has proven resilient, defying predictions that rising energy prices partially attributable to the war could fracture the grouping.
Political Cartoons on World Leaders
Like most senior Russian officials, Lavrov has over the past decade adopted an increasingly hawkish position, supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and railing against what he and Putin have called the West’s attempts to constrain Russia and dominate global affairs.
Lavrov reiterated that Russia and america cannot maintain normal connection, blaming the administration of the U.S. President Joe Biden.
“It’s objectively unattainable to take care of normal communication with the Biden administration, which declares the infliction of a strategic defeat on our country as a goal,” Lavrov said.
He added that Washington’s “confrontational anti-Russian course is becoming increasingly acute and comprehensive”.
U.S.-Russia ties have fallen to their lowest point in a long time amid the fallout from Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, and the ensuing imposition of Western sanctions.
The US has provided billions of dollar in support to Ukraine, with the newest $1.85 billion aid package announced last week, further angering Moscow.
In Lavrov’s remarks published earlier by TASS, the foreign minister gave Kyiv an ultimatum to satisfy Moscow’s demands for settlement or the Russian army will determine the difficulty.
(Reporting in Melbourne by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Michael Perry)
Copyright 2022 Thomson Reuters.