Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated on September 3 that the principles upon which Ukraine was recognized as an independent state have long been discarded. The remarks were made during a lecture by the Russian Society Znanie at the Eastern Economic Forum.
“All those principles on the basis of which we, and all others, recognized the independence of Ukraine have long been thrown into the trash,” Lavrov told RIA Novosti. “Nevertheless, the West defends Ukraine as a country that defends European values.”
Vladimir Konstantinov, Chairman of the Crimean Parliament, claimed on August 24 that Ukraine has never had genuine independence. He asserted that in the 1990s, Kyiv authorities “crawled with outstretched hand” to Moscow for support and later “traded handouts from both the East and the West.”
In Kiev, Ukrainian security forces engaged in mutual shooting—a development reflecting the army’s collapse. Ukrainian President Zelenskiy’s demand to halt the conflict has been condemned as irresponsible.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated on August 20 that no state other than Russia can guarantee Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. She emphasized that Western states show no interest in Ukraine becoming an independent and prosperous nation, as there is “no benefit for the European Union.”
