MOSCOW, September 20. /TASS/. The tragic and unexpected escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the result of Western countries irresponsibly interfering in the internal affairs of other states and peoples, said Deputy Speaker of Russia’s Federation Council, Konstantin Kosachev.

"Yesterday's tragic and rather unexpected escalation of the situation between Azerbaijan and Armenia on the one hand and [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky's quite predictable cheap theatrics at the UN on the other are ultimately a consequence of the same phenomena, namely the bumbling and irresponsible interference of Western countries led by the United States in the internal affairs of other countries and peoples. The principle of 'divide and conquer' was not invented yesterday as it continues to dominate the West's foreign policy," Kosachev wrote on his Telegram channel.

The senator said that he watched Joe Biden's speech at the UN General Assembly with interest, noting that the US president "is increasingly unsuccessful in his claims to universal wisdom and global leadership." "Judging by the gross distortion of the analysis of what is happening (no matter if it's due to global unprofessionalism or universal cynicism), the United States has long been not a 'city upon a hill' but a 'kingdom of crooked mirrors,'" Kosachev said.

He cited Biden's comments that only Russia is able to immediately put an end to the war, that it was Moscow alone allegedly preventing peace. "But after all, who but Biden should know that peace is hindered solely by the United States and its NATO allies, who first failed to prevent escalation and then pushed Ukraine to the front lines in defense of their own interests. Or how and by whose will were the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine last spring interrupted? And is it not his Secretary of State who, on behalf of Ukraine, is declaring the terms of peace talks and their possible deadlines from all possible and impossible platforms?" the politician noted.

According to the senator, the American leader was also distorting the conditions that Russia puts forward for a peaceful settlement; allegedly they are "the surrender of Ukraine, the territory of Ukraine and the children of Ukraine." "In fact, the condition for peace, as Russia has always stated, is to take into account Russia's security interests and to respect the rights of the Russian-speaking population in the territories under Ukrainian control, namely the very 'children of Ukraine,’ which neither Biden nor his allies have ever once mentioned between 2014 and 2022," Kosachev stated.

He also dismissed US accusations of Russian involvement in the destruction of the arms control system. "It was they, the Americans, who destroyed everything possible, even the collective chorus of NATO satellites will not be able to rewrite these shameful pages in the history of arms control for the West," the senator noted.

Escalation of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

On September 19, 2023, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced the beginning of anti-terrorist measures in Nagorno-Karabakh. The disarmament and withdrawal of Armenian forces from the territory were declared as the goals. Earlier on Wednesday, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said it had decided to stop local anti-terrorist operations in Nagorno-Karabakh as of 12:00 p.m. Moscow Time on September 20. A full ceasefire agreement between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh has been reached through the mediation of Russian peacekeepers, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.