New york: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that had the 2015 Minsk agreements, reaffirmed in Paris in 2019 - with Zelensky already in office - been implemented as required by the UN Security Council, Ukraine would still be within its 1991 borders, except, of course, for Crimea. That issue has long been settled, as everyone fully understands.
In his statement at the UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine in New York, Russian FM Sergey Lavrov said that Russia's December 2021 proposals to reach an agreement based on mutual respect for the security interests of Russia and the countries of Europe and North America were arrogantly rejected by NATO and the Biden administration.
Sergey Lavrov said that in practice, preparations were being made for Kiev to seize by force the territories of Donbass beyond its control. To prevent this Western scenario from unfolding, we were compelled to launch the special military operation in February 2022. Just a week later, the Ukrainian side requested negotiations. We agreed.
Sergey Lavrov said that after several rounds in Belarus and Istanbul, the Ukrainian side proposed key principles for a settlement, which our negotiators accepted. Crucially, these enshrined Ukraine's neutral status, recognised the realities on the ground and provided collective security guarantees offering reliable protection against any recurrence of armed provocations or attempts at aggression.
He said that the document was initialled by the Ukrainian and Russian delegations, but everyone knows what happened to it. Had that initialled agreement been formalised in a treaty and implemented, Ukraine would, once again, have retained its 1991 borders, but without Crimea and part of Donbass.
He said that Russia - as President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly reaffirmed - is ready for negotiations to achieve precisely such a lasting and just peace. The tasks that must be accomplished to achieve this goal were clearly outlined in President Vladimir Putin's keynote address in June 2024. However, having learned from bitter experience, we will not suspend the special military operation for the duration of negotiations, whatever their format.
Sergey Lavrov said that yet this is precisely what Europe wants, with the same simple aim of securing a respite and replenishing the depleted arsenals of the Kiev regime, which, out of desperation, has long since resorted to openly terrorist methods.
Sergey Lavrov said that as we can see, Greenland is neither Crimea nor Donbass, and 'never the twain shall meet'. We eagerly await the next episode of this 'series'. It will be interesting to hear the Secretariat's response to any questions journalists may ask about the plans of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Sergey Lavrov said that we hope that the next Secretary-General will bring the statements of Secretariat officials back into line with international law.
He said that the Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States in accordance with the Charter of the UN clearly stipulates that the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity apply to states that respect the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples and have a government representing the whole people belonging to the territory, without distinction as to race, creed or colour.
Sergey Lavrov said I believe it is obvious to everyone that the Kiev regime cannot be regarded as a government representing the interests of the people of Crimea, Donbass and Novorossiya, whom it has time and again branded 'terrorists, subhumans and specimen'.