By all means possible, Western countries evade responding to Russian proposals regarding the security architecture in Europe, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Russian and foreign media on the current international agenda.
"It is no coincidence that the West by all means evades responding to our absolutely clear, based on existing agreements, proposals concerning the security architecture in Europe," Lavrov said.
Lavrov pointed out that Russia could no longer allow the threat of a direct attack on Russia to come from the territory of Ukraine. "Such threats are enshrined in the current doctrinal documents of the Kiev regime. And, of course, Ukraine's ill-advised aspiration to join NATO and the NATO people's complete unwillingness to fulfill their obligations, which require not taking any measures that will strengthen your security at the expense of my security, of course, this is among the main reasons [for the current state of affairs in Ukraine]," he added. - "But that's not what I wanted to say. It's not just about the situation in Ukraine, not just about the demilitarization and denazification of that country, preventing genocide from continuing on its territory and stopping all violence and allowing Ukrainians to determine their own destiny. But we are talking about the world order".
What is needed for the security of Russia
Lavrov said the West cannot decide for Russia what it needs for its security. "We are told: the inclusion of Ukraine in NATO or any other country that is not now a member of the alliance will not pose a threat to Russia's security. Why on earth would the West determine for us what we need for our security?" the minister pointed out.
Lavrov compared this approach to the way the US defines for Germany and Europe as a whole what is needed for the energy security of the European continent. "And they decided that Nord Stream - 2 is not necessary for the EU's energy security, because this security will be provided by the supply of American liquefied natural gas at a cost several times higher. This is what it's all about. That they listen to us, but they don't hear us," he pointed out.
"I mentioned a key principle that has been endorsed at the highest level, and in the OSCE, and in relations between Russia and NATO. Yes, the right to choose alliances is recognized for every country, but at the same time, no country can strengthen its security at the expense of the security of any other country. And no organization has the right to claim a dominating role in the Euro-Atlantic region, which NATO is actively doing right now," the minister added. Lavrov continued that strengthening the security of NATO at the expense of Russian security has already become "the talk of the town".
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: Federation Council
Based on materials from TASS