Lavrov warns against arms deliveries to Ukraine

Created: 04/26/2022, 16:00

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and UN Secretary-General António Guterres meet in Moscow.

© Maxim Shipenkov/Pool EPA/AP/dpa

UN Secretary-General Guterres is visiting Moscow.

At his meeting with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the focus is on possible negotiation goals between the Kremlin and Kyiv - but above all there are accusations.

MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at a meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned against arms sales to Ukraine.

"If things continue like this, the negotiations will hardly bring any result," Lavrov said on Tuesday after talks with the UN chief in Moscow.

The talks between Kyiv and Moscow to end the war have so far not brought any tangible results.

Russia has troops in Ukraine and will continue to target weapons supplied by the West there, Lavrov said.

Lavrov stressed that Russia was still ready to negotiate an end to hostilities in Ukraine.

But he sees no real interest in Kyiv.

On the question of a possible use of mediators in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, Lavrov said: "It's too early for that." With regard to the USA, he criticized that the West is now only concerned with defeating Russia.

Allegations against USA and Great Britain

Lavrov has accused the United States and Britain of slowing down negotiations with Ukraine.

We know for sure that "neither London nor Washington" would advise Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to speed up negotiations, the Russian foreign minister said.

"They always advise Zelenskyy to tighten his position."

He claimed that Kyiv is delaying negotiations.

Recently, for example, the Ukrainian side stated that they had not yet had time to deal with the latest Russian proposal.

There was no information from Kyiv.

Lavrov also stated that Ukraine's positions were predetermined from abroad.

"Many of us are convinced that the real position of Ukraine will be determined in Washington, London and other western capitals."

Therefore, "our political analysts say why talk to Zelenskyy's team, you have to talk to the Americans, negotiate with them, reach some kind of agreement."

The Russian side has repeatedly questioned Ukraine's independence and right to exist.

Lavrov and Guterres address a joint press conference after their meeting.

© Maxim Shipenkov/Pool EPA/AP/dpa

The prevention of NATO accession and a neutral status of Ukraine is one of the main goals of the Russian war of aggression against the neighboring state.

Zelenskyj had shown himself ready to talk about a neutral status for the country and security guarantees from third countries.

So far, however, there are no tangible results in the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.

More and more of the NATO countries have recently announced that they will also directly supply heavy weapons for Ukraine's fight against the Russian attackers.

Heavy weapons are main battle tanks and armored personnel carriers, heavy artillery, warships, combat aircraft and helicopters, and larger, heavily armored vehicles.

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Lavrov accused Ukraine and the West of not showing any interest in resolving the conflict for the past eight years.

To this end, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has terminated the agreements of the Minsk peace plan.

There was also a UN resolution on the Minsk peace plan, to which no one felt bound, said the Russian chief diplomat.

At his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, Guterres called for a swift ceasefire and an end to the war in Ukraine.

© Maxim Shipenkov/Pool EPA/AP/dpa

UN chief Guterres said the resolutions were binding.

However, he made it clear that there were other methods than war to achieve the goals.

Guterres stressed that he regretted that the United Nations was not involved in the implementation - in the so-called "Normandy Format", in which France and Germany mediated in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

dpa