Moscow (The Times Groupe)- Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Saturday the West doesn’t permit Ukraine to negotiate with Russia.
Lavrov accused the West, led by the UK and the US, of using Ukraine to restrain and exhaust Russia.
In an interview with RTRS, the public broadcaster of Republika Srpska, he said that the West had forbidden Ukraine to continue negotiations with Russia, which had accepted Ukrainian proposals two months ago as the basis for developing a settlement.
As a result, Ukraine tightened its stance against Russia, he said.
Lavrov argued that economic sanctions against his country backfired and are hurting the West more than the West is hurting Russia.
The Russian government turned to its own forces and dependable allies,” Lavrov said, noting that the nation had previously imported a high volume of agricultural products that had helped it become the world’s largest producer of food.
Lavrov pointed out in particular that the oil market does not follow political whims or orders, especially in light of the EU’s sixth sanctions package passed Friday.
Since the war with Russia began, at least 4,113 civilians have been killed and 4,916 injured in Ukraine, and the real toll is believed to be much higher.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) reports that more than 6.8 million people have fled to other countries, while more than 7.7 million have been internally displaced.