Lavrov claims Russia did not attack Ukraine
Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claims Russia did not attack Ukraine, stating instead that it launched a “special military operation” to defend Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine.
After a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in Antalya, Turkey on Thursday, Lavrov was asked whether Russia was planning on attacking other countries. “We are not planning to attack other countries,” Lavrov responded. “We didn’t attack Ukraine in the first place.”
Lavrov merely parroted the official Kremlin narrative of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, claiming it is a “special military operation” aimed at the “demilitarization and denazification” of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that he is trying to prevent a genocide against ethnic Russians in the Donbas region.
There is no evidence of genocide in Ukraine.
Thursday’s meeting between Lavrov and Kuleba was the first time top diplomats have met since Russia invaded Ukraine two weeks ago. The meeting does not appear to have yielded results, with Kuleba stating that Russia “seeks surrender from Ukraine…. We will not surrender”.