MOSCOW, March 5. /TASS/. Statements by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky show he wants to provoke a conflict between NATO and Russia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"I have a question: if he [Zelensky] is so upset that NATO did not stand up for him, as he had hoped, does it mean he relies on getting NATO involved in this whole story as a way of resolving the conflict, rather than negotiations," Lavrov said at a news conference on Saturday following his talks with Kyrgyzstan’s Foreign Minister Ruslan Kazakbayev. "So, it means that he doesn’t hear the regular statements by Washington, Paris, Berlin and other capitals that NATO is not going to interfere in this conflict."

"And it means that he is seeking to provoke a conflict involving NATO, between NATO and Russia," Lavrov said.

Lavrov also drew attention to Zelensky's statements accusing the alliance of being inactive in the situation with Ukraine. According to the foreign minister, such rhetoric doesn’t add optimism in the issue of a Ukrainian settlement. "It is difficult to comment on the prospects for both the [third] round and the [Russian-Ukrainian] talks in general," Lavrov said. "But Mr. Zelensky’s constant, I would say, embittered statements do not add optimism."

"He exploded with invectives with respect to a NATO meeting and in general was a bit rude to his handlers, accusing them of inaction," the minister said.

He said that the Ukrainian leader demonstrates by his behavior that he doesn’t need negotiations with Russia, but Moscow is hoping for a change in his attitude. "Such a militaristic frenzy of his (Zelensky - TASS note), of course, suggests that he doesn’t need negotiations," Lavrov said. "But let's hope that today this mood can change, he is a man of moods. Let's hope."

Zelensky earlier posted a video message to the Ukrainians on Telegram, levelling criticism on the meeting of the foreign ministers of NATO member countries that was held on Friday. Commenting on the alliance's refusal to establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine, he called the meeting held in Brussels "weak and confused" and said it was "a summit that shows that not everyone considers the struggle for freedom in Europe to be the most important goal."

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in response to a request for help by the heads of the Donbass republics. He stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories, but aims to demilitarize and denazify the country.