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US-led West using Ukraine issue to justify economic war against Russia, defense chief says

Sergey Shoigu pointed out that Russia had made significant efforts to establish the legal foundations of stability in Europe under the new conditions

TASHKENT, August 24. /TASS/. The US and its allies have been using the conflict in Ukraine as another excuse to unleash economic and information warfare against Russia, the nation’s Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said at a meeting of defense chiefs from Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states on Wednesday.

"A tough war of sanctions and an information war have been unleashed against Russia. The conflict in Ukraine was just another excuse for it. The stated goal of the US and its accomplices is to strategically weaken Russia in order to eliminate competition and use it a warning to other countries pursuing an independent foreign policy," Shoigu pointed out.

He also noted that Russia had made "significant efforts to establish the legal foundations of stability in Europe under the new conditions." "However, the West, led by Washington, refused to take note of our concerns over mutual security guarantees, primarily regarding Ukraine’s neutral status," the Russian defense minister stressed.

According to Shoigu, the West ignored some issues that were crucial for Moscow, including NATO’s eastward expansion, the need for the bloc to stop the deployment of combat weapons and military activities near the borders of the Russian Federation. "Ukraine was chosen to be a tool in a hybrid war against Russia," Shoigu emphasized.

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