Russia sees no reason to end talks with Ukraine, says foreign minister

MOSCOW

Russia sees no reason to end peace talks with Ukraine despite Kyiv's constant changes in position, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.

"I don't see any reason why we can't continue (the talks), although the Ukrainian side turns around every time, sometimes by 180 degrees, rejecting what it offered," Lavrov said in an interview with Russia's Rossiya 24 TV channel.

The aim of Russia's war in Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special operation," is to put an end to the Western dominance in the world, he added.

"Our special military operation is designed to put an end to the reckless expansion and reckless course towards the complete dominance of the United States and other Western countries in the international arena," he said.

Lavrov noted that such dominance was based on the "grossest violations of international law."

Commenting on recent remarks by EU foreign policy head Josep Borrel that the Ukraine war "must be won on the battlefield," Lavrov said such comments from a top diplomat could only be the result of a "personal grudge" or a "slip of the tongue."

He said Borrel's statement represents "a very serious U-turn" in Western policy towards Russia, the essence of which is "to make of Ukraine a springboard for the final suppression and subordination of Russia" to Western dominance.

Lavrov said civilian killings in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, allegedly by Russian forces before they recently withdrew from around the capital Kyiv, were staged and warned that there would be similar provocations against Russia using chemical weapons in the near future.

The minister noted that Russian diplomats were working under difficult conditions in other countries and also voiced concern for Russian people living abroad who have been assaulted regularly.

"The situation with discrimination against Russians has demonstrated that political correctness and other conventions no longer exist in the West. It is just as Hitler mobilized his society and other European countries against Jews, in particular," he said.

At least 1,793 civilians have been killed and 2,439 injured in Ukraine since Russia declared war on Feb. 24, according to UN estimates, with the true figure feared to be much higher.

Around 4.5 million Ukrainians have fled to other countries, with millions more internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency.​​​​