🎙 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks and answers to questions during the Ambassadorial Roundtable discussion “Ukraine Crisis: The West’s True Goals and Role” (Moscow, June 23, 2026)

Key points:

• The West spares neither money nor effort in supporting Ukrainian nationalism, notorious since the Second World War for its exceptional brutality.

• The West backed the coup in Kiev as early as December 2004, when it forced through an unconstitutional third round of voting.

• The West also played a direct role in the second coup in February 2014. In violation of the settlement agreement between the government and the opposition, guaranteed by Germany, France and Poland, outright Nazis and Russophobes seized power and immediately began physically eliminating their fellow citizens in Donbass.

• Today, Europe is elbowing its way into the Ukraine settlement process, imposing its own approaches and stamping out even the faintest signs of common sense shown by the Donald Trump Administration following his return to the White House. ☝️ We harbour no illusions about Europe’s true intentions.

• As Ukrainian forces lose ground on the battlefield every day, Europe is betting on the Zelensky regime’s overtly terrorist tactics, including strikes deep inside Russia against civilian targets. It hopes to spread fear and discontent among our people and divide Russian society. We see this perfectly clearly.

• The West’s real purpose in calling for talks is to save the Zelensky regime and preserve Ukraine as a staging ground for confrontation with Russia. This is why it is pushing for an immediate ceasefire: to halt Russia’s advance and, just as during the Minsk process, buy time to rearm the Kiev regime.

• Any truth about what is happening immediately becomes taboo in the EU. There are countless examples. One of the latest was the decision to prevent Politico Europe from publishing my article despite a prior agreement. So much for freedom of speech!

• The future of the world order hinges, without exaggeration, on which approach prevails: subordinating everyone to a single centre or working collectively to establish a balance of interests. Russia and our partners in the #CIS, #CSTO, #EAEU, #SCO and other regional organisations unequivocally choose dialogue and remain committed to the principles enshrined in the UN Charter following the defeat of Nazism and militarism in the Second World War.

• Ukraine’s neutral, non-aligned and non-nuclear status must be ensured in practice. This is precisely the status established in its Declaration of State Sovereignty and the status in which Russia and all other countries recognised the Ukrainian state.

• Despite all the manoeuvring by European elites and their Kiev clients, all the goals and objectives of the special military operation will be achieved.

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