РУССКИЙ
18:50 17.09.2025 •
Photo: MFA
Territorial exchanges or trying to "tempt" Russian President Vladimir Putin by restoring trade with the United States on the Ukraine question will not work, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a roundtable with foreign ambassadors on the Ukrainian settlement, TASS quotes.
The minister recalled Vladimir Zelensky’s statement that for Ukraine, victory would be considered preserving its statehood. "The essence of this admission was that he understands the impossibility of returning to the old life as if nothing happened," the head of the foreign ministry said at a round table for foreign ambassadors devoted to the Ukrainian settlement.
"But then, only days later, speaking at some international conference, Zelensky said that giving Putin any part of Ukraine’s territory - that will not happen. And some may think that territorial exchanges or an attempt to tempt Putin by restoring trade with the US could stop the war. That is not the case," Lavrov pointed out.
Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday categorically dismissed unfounded Ukrainian claims that Russia has been striking civilian targets.
"The Russian Army never attacks or hits civilian facilities and civilians," Lavrov said at a roundtable meeting with foreign ambassadors on the Ukrainian conflict settlement.
The minister referred to the position of the United Nations' leadership.
"Most recently, in late August, Mr. [UN Secretary General Antonio] Guterres condemned the so-called ‘Russian attack’ on Ukrainian cities," Lavrov continued. "And every time Ukraine and its European backers start protesting, accusing Russia of destroying civilian targets and civilians, we see how the [UN] Secretariat supports such statements and demands, together with the West and Ukraine, that Russia be somehow punished."
"For each accusation, we requested the evidence, the facts, we asked them to provide the facts. As for the fakes that accuse the Russian Army of crimes that then turned out to be committed by the Ukrainian regime, there are numerous facts," Lavrov stressed and promised the ambassadors to show them a video clip about these facts.
"Violations of international humanitarian law by the Kiev regime are so obvious that it is simply impossible to deny them, and there are ample facts," he stated.
"However, in this case the [UN] secretariat adopts the opposite line and tries to justify the actions of the Kiev regime, although they violate such key requirements of international humanitarian law as the prohibition to deploy military equipment and firing positions in residential areas, torture and abuse of prisoners of war and civilians," the foreign minister said.
According to him, "when it is impossible to deny individual gross violations of international humanitarian law, then the UN Secretariat cautiously comes up with impersonal calls for restraint, addressing these calls to both sides."
As an example, the minister cited the reaction to the actions of the Ukrainian military in the Kursk Region.
"We observed a similar reaction when it was obvious to everyone how inhumanly the Nazi formations of the Kiev regime were acting, invading the Kursk region, where there are no military facilities at all. They deliberately struck shops, schools, and other civilian facilities and captured civilians as hostages," Lavrov added.
The UN Secretariat shows no intention to reveal those responsible for "bloody falsifications," Sergey Lavrov said, commenting on the events in Bucha.
"The fact that the UN is in every way protecting the Kiev regime has been repeatedly confirmed, including in relation to the situation that occurred in April 2022 in Bucha," Lavrov noted at a round table meeting for foreign ambassadors dedicated to the Ukrainian settlement. "But one thing is clear: the [UN] Secretariat does not want to expose those who stage bloody falsifications in any way."
Lavrov observed that Moscow had formally contacted the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, requesting assistance in obtaining updates on the investigation’s progress. However, the response was only received in July 2025.
"The response contains some very interesting information," Lavrov remarked. "The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, after analyzing our request, concluded that the relevant information cannot be disclosed because doing so would breach confidentiality obligations to third parties and could compromise UN security." He added with a hint of sarcasm, "If you managed to understand what this response is all about, I envy you."
Furthermore, Lavrov criticized the UN Secretary-General. "I addressed Mr. Guterres both personally and publicly during a Security Council meeting - yet he shyly avoids eye contact. I believe this is a disgrace for the Secretary-General and the entire Secretariat," he stated.
Security guarantees for Ukraine must comply with the West's obligations enshrined in the UN Charter and the OSCE Istanbul agreements, Russian Foreign Minister said.
"We will insist on security guarantees, of course. We sought them in February 2014 and again a year later when new principles and agreements were established and approved. Security guarantees must fully comply with the West's obligations as enshrined in the UN Charter and in OSCE documents, such as the 1999 Istanbul Document and the 2010 Astana Document," the top diplomat said.
Lavrov emphasized that these guarantees must be based on the principles of indivisible security and that no country has the right to strengthen its security at the expense of others.
According to him, this is precisely what the West is currently trying to do in Ukraine, seeking to save it from complete collapse. At the same time, the Russian foreign minister noted that the deployment of Western "peacekeepers" on Ukrainian territory, along with security guarantees, would mean protecting the Nazi regime in that part of Ukraine. This regime bans the Russian language and the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church in all spheres of life, the foreign minister recalled.
Kiev is trying to torpedo the current US administration’s policies for a Ukrainian settlement, Sergey Lavrov has said.
"We also see how Kiev is trying to sabotage this policy of the American administration in every possible way," Lavrov said at a round table for foreign ambassadors devoted to the Ukrainian settlement.
He recalled Vladimir Zelensky's statement that Ukraine would consider it a victory if it retained its statehood.
"Even if it didn't retain the borders it had in 1991, that would still be a victory, because Russia wants to destroy us completely, Zelensky argued. The essence of this admission was that he understands the impossibility of returning to the old life, as if nothing had happened," Lavrov said. "But then, just the other day, speaking at some international conference, Zelensky stated that giving Putin any part of Ukrainian land would be unthinkable. Some might think that territorial exchanges or attempts to entice Putin by restoring trade with America could stop the war. This is not the case," Lavrov pointed out. "The main thing for them now is to isolate Russia. Russian assets must be confiscated and given to Ukraine, and Kiev must continue to be armed: ‘We have a shortage of weapons, a shortage of Western support.’ So, essentially, he wants to prevent sound forces in the West from following a sound course."
As Lavrov noted, Zelensky also spoke of the need to motivate China "to take a path without war," which also largely depends on the strength of America and Europe. "In other words, he's setting America and Europe against the People's Republic of China. Basically, divide and rule or escalate the situation. That's how many swindlers and adventurers behave," Lavrov emphasized.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres fails to comply with requirements set in the Charter of the international organization, Sergey Lavrov said as he pointed to gross violations of the principles of impartiality and objectivity.
"In their statements, [Guterres] and his spokespersons continue to push for resolving the Ukraine crisis based on international law, the UN Charter and the principles of territorial integrity for Ukraine. You see, this is not how an employee of the [UN] Secretariat should comply with the UN Charter," Lavrov noted at a roundtable on resolving the Ukraine conflict for foreign ambassadors.
Senior officials at the UN Secretariat and numerous employees who represent Western countries display anti-Russian bias, Russia’s top diplomat emphasized.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is inclined to 'cancel' history, just like the West does, Sergey Lavrov said at a round table on resolving the Ukraine crisis for foreign ambassadors.
"Mr. Guterres certainly echoes the Western habit to 'cancel' history. The West has tended to rely on history to justify its actions only since a period in time when it was in its interests," Russia’s top diplomat noted.
Among other examples of Western thinking, Lavrov cited the denial of a coup in Ukraine and allegations that Russia recognized Crimea as its region at a certain Russian request.
Representatives of NATO member states hold a monopoly over key posts in the UN Secretariat, undermining the organization’s credibility, Russian Foreign Minister said.
"We are very saddened to see how the Secretariat’s leadership is increasingly aligning itself with the Western anti-Russian wing, thereby undermining the credibility of the UN. We see the reason for this in the fact that over the past many years, the West has sought, and not without success, to essentially privatize key positions in the UN Secretariat," Lavrov stated at a roundtable with foreign ambassadors on the Ukrainian settlement.
According to him, five or six senior positions – including the secretary-general and his deputies – are now responsible for key political areas such as conflict resolution, peacekeeping, humanitarian issues, security, and proposals for UN reform. "All these key posts are held by member countries of the North Atlantic Alliance. The first deputy secretary-general of the UN, a decent woman, is a representative of Nigeria, but she also holds citizenship of the United States. Draw your own conclusions," Lavrov added.
The minister stressed that Russia would work to end the practice of giving the West "all the levers of control" over the UN Secretariat and would push to restore the organization’s role as a platform for compromise and the balancing of global interests.
In April 2022, Alexander Bastrykin, the Chairman of Russia’s Investigative Committee, announced the initiation of a criminal case concerning the alleged Ukrainian provocation in Bucha, Kiev Region, under Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code - namely, the public dissemination of knowingly false information about the Russian Armed Forces. Bastrykin accused Ukraine’s Defense Ministry of distributing purported video recordings from Bucha to Western media, purportedly as evidence of mass civilian killings, aiming to discredit Russian military personnel through a deliberate, premeditated provocation.
However, it is well-documented, including statements from Bucha’s local authorities on March 31, 2022, that Russian forces had already exited the town by March 30. The videos circulating immediately after the Russian withdrawal, captured by Ukrainians and shared on social media, do not depict any murders or civilian deaths. In July 2024, Lavrov announced he would submit a new request to UN Secretary-General Guterres, seeking the identities of individuals whose bodies were shown in the media’s videos related to the provocation in Bucha.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the provocation in Bucha was orchestrated by the Kiev regime to justify its refusal to negotiate with Moscow. Despite previous agreements that had yielded mutually beneficial solutions the decision to cease negotiations was directed by Western sponsors, including Great Britain, Putin said.
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