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Military operation in Ukraine

EU trying to avoid direct dialogue, choosing path of sanctions — Russian top diplomat

On February 24, the Russian president in response to the appeal of the leaders of the republics of Donbass, decided to conduct a special military operation

MOSCOW, March 1. /TASS/. The EU states are trying to get away from an honest and direct dialogue, choosing the path of unilateral illegitimate sanctions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated in a video message at the Conference on Disarmament on Tuesday.

"I am glad to speak at the Conference on Disarmament. I was hoping to do it offline in Geneva. However, this was impossible due to the EU’s refusal to respect one of the fundamental human rights - the right to freedom of movement," the Russian top diplomat noted.

"Choosing the path of unilateral illegitimate sanctions, the EU states are trying to get away from honest and direct contacts that could help find political solutions to acute global challenges," Lavrov said.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin in response to the appeal of the leaders of the republics of Donbass, decided to conduct a special military operation. The Russian leader stressed that Moscow’s plans do not include the occupation of Ukrainian territories, while the main goal is the country’s demilitarization and denazification.

After that, the US, EU, UK, as well as some other states, said that they were imposing penalties against Russian individuals and legal entities. London was the first to close its airspace for Russian airplanes on February 25. On February 27, the foreign ministers of 27 EU countries approved the complete closure of the organization’s airspace for Russia.

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Sergey Lavrov Military operation in Ukraine

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