MOSCOW, February 15. /TASS/. The United States and its satellites are waging an all-encompassing hybrid war against Russia to surround it with a ‘sanitary cordon’ and make it a r’ogue country’, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament, on Wednesday.

"Today the United States and its satellites are waging an all-encompassing hybrid war against us that has been prepared for many years using Ukrainian national radicals as a battering ram," he said. Lavrov pointed out that "the West does not hide its goals." "It is not only to defeat Russia on the battlefield, to destroy the Russian economy, but also to surround us with a 'sanitary cordon,' to turn us into some kind of ‘rogue’ country," the top diplomat said.

"The range of instruments is wide," he continued, "From direct military support for the neo-Nazis, which US Secretary of Defense [Lloyd] Austin directly called for yesterday, stating the need to provide the Ukrainian armed forces with precision weapons and to train personnel to ensure the success of the new counteroffensive operations [the Kiev regime] is allegedly preparing, to unprecedented illegal sanctions and outright lies in an attempt to demonize Russia."

The Russian side, according to Lavrov, until "the last moment did everything possible to de-escalate tensions, to find an equal, mutually respectful agreement". The top diplomat noted that it was to this end that Russian President Vladimir Putin in December 2021 put forward an initiative to formalize counter legally binding security guarantees for the West. "These, as we know, were arrogantly rejected by Washington and NATO. They weren’t even willing to discuss our legitimate concerns. All this left us with no way out," Lavrov recalled.

"A year ago, on the orders of [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky's regime, the Ukrainian amed forces, led by the national battalions, moved to suppress Donbass by force, increasing the bombing of populated areas. In response to the official appeal of the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) and the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), we recognized their independence and came to their aid in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter by launching a special military operation," the minister added.