“The United States has virtually subjugated and mobilized the entire collective West to make Ukraine an instrument of war with Russia – just as Hitler then brought the majority of European countries under arms for an invasion of the Soviet Union,” Lavrov said Monday during a speech to the State Duma, Russia’s parliament.
Parliament on Monday unanimously ratified the annexation of the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya. On Friday, President Vladimir Putin and the occupants of the four territories, installed by Moscow, signed treaties not recognized by the international community to join the Russian Federation. Mr Lavrov accused Ukraine of restricting people’s rights to their Russian language, religion and culture. He defended annexation as a way to protect the Russian-speaking population from discrimination by a “Nazi regime” in kyiv.
Mr. Putin had repeatedly stressed that the regions would benefit from the full protection of nuclear energy. Therefore, any attack by Ukraine against the four regions after the completion of annexation would be considered an attack against Russia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that the Luhansk and Donetsk regions would be fully part of Russia within their Ukrainian administrative borders. In the Donetsk region, Russian forces so far control just over 50% of the territory.
According to Mr. Peskov, the borders of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions will be determined later. Ukrainian troops are advancing in all regions. Regarding Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO, reiterated in Kyiv by President Volodimir Zelensky, Peskov said Russia was watching the situation, but did not see a majority yet . The Kremlin spokesman also said that Ukraine’s planned NATO membership was a reason for the war Russia started on February 24.