Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov: Need to eliminate 'root causes' of Ukraine conflict

Speaking at the Ministerial Conference at the United Nations Security Council on July 16, Mr. Lavrov affirmed that ending the deadlock between Moscow and Kiev must go hand in hand with eliminating the threat posed by the West to Russia's security.

Russia’s top diplomat noted that the conditions for a “lasting peace” between Russia and Ukraine had been set by Russian President Vladimir Putin. In June, Putin outlined Moscow’s terms for the start of a ceasefire. The terms involved the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from all Russian territory, including the Donetsk and Luhansk republics, as well as the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, and a legal commitment from Kiev never to join NATO. Putin added that any final agreement would have to be recognized by Western countries and pave the way for the lifting of sanctions against Russia. Both Kiev and the West rejected this proposal.

Lavrov addressed the UN Security Council as he listed measures needed to “restore confidence and stabilize the situation” on the international stage. “Any political and diplomatic solution (to the Ukraine conflict) must be accompanied by concrete steps to eliminate the threats posed to the Russian Federation by (the West). The root causes of the crisis that has erupted in Europe must be resolved once and for all.” Russia and the West need mutual “guarantees and agreements,” the Russian foreign minister said, adding that “new geostrategic realities on the Eurasian continent” must also be taken into account.

Lavrov said an “intercontinental architecture with truly equal and indivisible security” was being formed on the continent. “The global and regional balance of power also needs to be restored, along with correcting injustices in the world economy,” Lavrov argued. A multipolar world, he added, should not have any monopoly on regulating finance, currency, trade or technology. Moscow has long blamed the hegemonic ambitions of Washington and its allies for various crises in recent decades. In June, Putin said the world missed the opportunity to create a better, fairer and more secure international order in the 1990s. He said that at the time, the US and other Western countries believed they had “won the Cold War and refused to respect the interests of other countries.” That approach is reflected in NATO's policy of resolving conflicts that stems from "accusing the side it dislikes of all sins and crushing it," President Putin criticized. According to the Russian President, such an approach has proven to be a disaster. He also denied that Russia is the main threat to Europe, saying that the biggest danger for European countries comes from their over-dependence on the United States./.