After his tripartite meeting with the foreign ministers of Russia and Turkey in Antalya, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov indicated that he does not believe that there will be a nuclear war, and that his country “does not want Ukraine to become a member of NATO,” noting that ” Sovereignty issues should be discussed in the course of the negotiations taking place in Belarus.”
He added, “The West has worked for years to create a dangerous environment in the region. We do not want Ukraine to become a member of NATO. We want Ukraine to be a neutral country, and we do not reject Ukraine’s security guarantees.”
“What we want is a demilitarized friendly Ukraine, without any threat to Moscow and the Russian culture,” he added.
At the same time, he stressed that Russia “does not plan to attack any European country,” and added, “We will seek to never depend on the West.”
Regarding the course of the incidents that took place in Antalya, Lavrov said that it was agreed on the “importance of humanitarian measures,” and continued: “We discussed military measures regarding the fate of civilians, who are used by extremists as human shields.”
He added, “We mentioned that Russia has set its vision in the past, and is awaiting the response of the Ukrainian leadership… Results must be achieved through a comprehensive settlement of the crisis, taking into account the interests of all countries.”
And whether the talks might be expanded to include Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Lavrov said: “We said that Putin would not refuse to meet Zelensky, provided that the meeting is substantive and discusses specific issues.”
Lavrov stressed that “the military operation in Ukraine is proceeding according to the plan laid out for it.”
