ANTALYA, March 10. /TASS/. The West’s reaction to Russia’s actions in Ukraine makes it clear that a life or death struggle is underway for Russia’s existence on the world map, Russian top diplomat Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference following a meeting with his Ukrainian and Turkish counterparts, Dmitry Kuleba and Mevlut Cavusoglu.
"We have come to understand that it’s not just about Ukraine, it is about an aggression against all things Russian, including Russia’s interests, religion, culture, language, security and so on. And now, the West’s reaction to our actions, which is completely frenzied I would say - please excuse the harsh words - shows that an actual life or death struggle is underway for Russia’s right to exist on the world map and fully ensure its legitimate interests," Lavrov pointed out.
In this regard, the Russian top diplomat mentioned Ukraine’s State Language Law, "which declared the Ukrainian language the only usable one and suppressed other languages one way or another." "Apart from us, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania also expressed outrage. But then, the Ukrainian authorities took a very simple step. They made an exception for the languages spoken in the European Union. A very subtle move. So, in the end, only the Russian language was totally suppressed. <...> And the West calmed down and said nothing. Once again it made it clear that the West needs only one thing from Ukraine, it wants it to keep working against Russia and all things Russian," Lavrov stressed.
He emphasized that Russia would like to see Ukraine a demilitarized and friendly country where there was no ban on the Russian language and culture, "a Ukraine where there is no danger of another Nazi state being formed".