MOSCOW

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday questioned the purpose of initiatives aimed at organizing a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine.

Speaking at a news conference in Moscow with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Secretary-General Feridun Sinirlioglu, Lavrov asked what peacekeepers would be tasked with protecting in Ukraine after a peace settlement with Russia.

"What will the peacekeepers, so to speak, protect? What remains of the Kyiv neo-Nazi regime, which has passed laws that eradicate Russian culture, language, and media, and banned the Ukrainian canonical Orthodox Church?" he asked.

Lavrov stressed that Moscow's primary goal is to end the persecution of everything Russian in Ukraine.

"Otherwise, it looks like an attempt to save what remains of this regime from the wrath of the people by deploying peacekeepers," he said.

Asked about the OSCE's potential involvement in the Russia-Ukraine settlement, Lavrov expressed skepticism, noting that the organization had previously participated, and Moscow has several complaints in this regard.

For his part, Sinirlioglu said he would make efforts to bring an end to the war, which has caused immense suffering for millions of people.