The sharp “change of the plate“ of Europe regarding the negotiations on Ukraine raises the question of what goals they are pursuing with their statements, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in his article “Ukraine, Europe and Global Security“, published in the journal “International Relations“.
“The question arises: why did European leaders suddenly “change the tone“ and they started talking about negotiations and what are they pursuing with their statements?“, the minister wrote.
Lavrov recalled recent statements by the head of European diplomacy Kaia Kallas, who claimed that dialogue with Russia was necessary in order to convey Europe's conditions to Moscow. Among them: the payment of “reparations“ to Ukraine, the withdrawal of troops from Transnistria and the Caucasus, the repeal of the law on “foreign agents“ and the establishment of a maximum troop strength for the Russian armed forces.
„It believes that „it is impossible to achieve a just and lasting peace without holding Russia accountable“, Lavrov added.
Brussels, as the foreign minister noted, is seeking negotiations on Ukraine to save the regime in Kiev so that it can serve as a springboard for the fight against Russia.
Europe, he added, wants to stall by all means necessary to achieve „combat readiness“ for conflict with Russia by 2030.
The minister quoted the Belgian chief of staff as saying that Europeans “have a few more years thanks to the blood of Ukrainians who are buying us this time“.
Lavrov called on European leaders to understand the impossibility of returning to the security model of past years, which they themselves destroyed. He also noted that Moscow sees Europe as interested in Russia's defeat and will not engage in dialogue with Brussels as if it were “an impartial third-party observer“.
The Russian Foreign Ministry stressed that Lavrov's article was initially planned for publication by the European publication Politico Europe, but was rejected at the last minute by editorial decision.