MOSCOW, January 17. /TASS/. The Kiev regime and European elites constitute ‘hawks’ who want the confrontation between Russia and Ukraine to continue, and therefore any pretexts for prolonging the Ukrainian conflict may be found, the governor of the Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo told TASS in an interview.

"There are certain ‘hawks’ [in European countries and in Kiev - TASS] who want the confrontation to continue. It indeed continues, and in this process, any reasons can be found to not stop it," Saldo said.

He noted that Western ideologues contributed to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the conflict in Ukraine is needed, among other things, to prevent Russia from becoming stronger and restoring its historical territories. One of the main reasons for the continuation of the conflict, according to Saldo, is the desire to weaken Russia. At the same time, he clarifies, the West will conduct a diplomatic game aimed at prolonging the conflict under the guise of peace initiatives.

"But our president clearly stated: if you don’t want to negotiate diplomatically, we will achieve our goals by military means <…> The objectives of the special military operation, which are before us and set by the supreme commander-in-chief, the president of our country, they will be achieved," Saldo added.

He drew attention to the fact that the European elites’ unwillingness to allow a peaceful settlement of the conflict also has a historical context. "You know, Europe has always looked with envy at the historical achievements of our people and our country. And these achievements, and these opportunities, both in terms of natural resources and territories interesting for development, have always aroused envy in them, and they have always been against everything ending peacefully," the Kherson governor said.

According to Saldo, at the final stages of the Russo-Turkish War (1787-1791), after which the incorporation of its southern lands into the Russian Empire, including Crimea and the Azov region, was secured, France and Great Britain opposed a peaceful settlement, despite the agreement of the Ottoman Empire. Europe has been advocating conflict with Russia for 200 years, he concluded.