MOSCOW, December 15. /TASS/. The latest Ukraine-themed contacts with the United States only further America’s understanding of Russia’s position, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).
"The Americans are trying to see it our way. Our latest contacts should mean that they are getting a better picture of our stance, [that they have started] to understand what needs to be done to achieve a lasting and long-term settlement of the conflict, instead of declaring another ceasefire needed to pump weapons into Ukraine. So, the process continues. We are waiting for the Americans to tell us about their recent contacts with the Ukrainians," the minister said.
In his words, negotiations on the subject continue, but those are all about getting at the root causes of the conflict.
"The negotiation process is under way. Our position is clear. We need to eliminate the root causes of the crisis, namely the threat to the Russian Federation, created by NATO’s eastward expansion towards our borders and attempts to drag Ukraine into the alliance, as well as the refusal to discuss our proposal on collective security measures," the top Russian diplomat continued.
Lavrov went on to say that there was also a threat that "everything Russian" will be eradicated in the areas "that have been the land of the Russian people, culture and history for decades but became a part of Ukraine as a result of a historical accident."
"Those who were brought to power as a result of the 2014 state coup said these people were ‘non-humans,’ claimed that they will eliminate the Russian language’s status as a state language, sent militants to attack the building of the Crimean Supreme Council and vowed to eradicate everything Russian," Lavrov continued. "After being elected president, Vladimir Zelensky told all those who live in Ukraine but feel themselves to be Russian at heart to get the heck out. This has been building up for almost ten years. No one heeded our warnings that these root causes will lead to an ‘explosion.’"
"Now, we need to remove these root causes, and it is a great thing that the Americans have started to understand this. They articulated clearly that there should be no NATO in Ukraine, that the lands where the Russians have been living for centuries should become a part of Russia again, that the Russian language, culture and the rights of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church need to be restored," he added.
He compared Europe’s attitude to the Ukrainian issue to that of an incompetent doctor who "does not bother to find out what kind of a disease you are suffering from."
"He simply prescribes a pill or a syrup to make you feel better for a couple of minutes," Lavrov said. "But these European ‘doctors’ do not care what the diagnosis is."