Lavrov Accuses West of Waging War on Russia Through Ukraine

Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s Foreign Minister, has claimed that Western countries are waging war against Russia through Ukraine in various roles and escalating the conflict by sending advanced weapons.

In an interview with the state news agency TASS, Lavrov said that London and Washington top the list of countries providing military support to Ukraine with, in his words, “varying degrees of savagery.” He alleged that equipping Kyiv with advanced missile defense systems and manufacturing new weapons specifically for Ukraine is an unprecedented move in Western relations with Russia.

The Russian Foreign Minister referred to the period before Vladimir Putin’s famous 2007 Munich speech, saying that at the start of Putin’s presidency, Moscow was ready for “equal strategic partnership” with the West. However, in his view, Western countries wanted to keep Russia under their control.

Lavrov also linked the start of Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine to the internal conditions of that country and claimed the West tried to incite Russian society against its government. He described the sanctions imposed on Moscow as stemming from Western fear of “fair competition” and an attempt to maintain their historical supremacy.

The Russia-Ukraine war began in February 2022, and with continued Western military support to Kyiv, tensions between Moscow and the West remain high.