MOSCOW, June 3. /TASS/. Russia has never sought to harm Ukraine’s culture in any way, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a news briefing on Friday.
"Who has ever tried to intentionally damage Ukraine’s cultural heritage, when and in what way?" Zakharova said. "Unlike our neighbors, we have never been prone to such behavior. We have not launched a campaign to demolish monuments to prominent Ukrainians or rename streets, bearing their names, and have never done so."
The EU’s accusations against Russia of damaging Ukraine’s cultural heritage cause confusion, Zakharova said. "What are you talking about? Do the people, who level such claims, know anything about our common history, about present-day reality?"
The EU’s weapons supplies to Ukraine are in conflict with the objective to protect and restore Ukraine’s cultural heritage the bloc has been declaring, the diplomat said.
"That’s another example of Brussels’ destructive logic: it is prepared to sacrifice basic principles of international humanitarian cooperation and politicize culture, sports, science and youth policy, while pursuing its aims or the aims imposed on it," Zakharova said.