РУССКИЙ
18:06 11.04.2026 •
Sergey Lavrov
Photo: Reuters
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s answer to a media question.
Question: European Commission’s Spokesperson Paula Pinho, commenting on the leaked telephone conversation between [Hungarian Foreign Minister] Péter Szijjártó and you, stated that the recording suggests an “alarming possibility of a member state’s government coordinating with Russia, thus actively working against the security and the interests of the EU and all its citizens.” How would you respond to this?
Sergey Lavrov: I will leave the claim that this telephone conversation somehow “works against the security and the interests of the EU and all its citizens” to the conscience of the person who authored it. If she made such a statement, then perhaps that is what she thinks. Frankly, it sounds more like the continuation of the familiar narrative: “the Russians are coming.” You may recall the end. Let me begin with a simple point.
Among the many responsibilities of foreign ministers, maintaining political dialogue is a key one. During negotiations, meetings, and telephone conversations, my colleagues and I address a wide range of issues related to both bilateral relations and the international agenda. Particular attention is naturally given to safeguarding the legitimate interests of our citizens in accordance with international standards of human rights and the rights of national minorities.
One of the most pressing issues is the situation of national minorities in Ukraine. This is precisely what we have discussed with Péter Szijjártó on numerous occasions. Budapest has never concealed and has repeatedly stated publicly its concerns regarding how Hungarian communities are treated by the Kiev authorities: linguistic, educational, administrative, and other rights have been curtailed in ways that contradict the Constitution of Ukraine as well as numerous obligations under the conventions of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, and the OSCE human rights regulations.
The situation regarding the Russians – I cannot bring myself to say “minority” – in Ukraine is even more intolerable. Despite professed adherence to values, the European Union has not only refrained from criticism but has effectively supported the Kiev regime’s policies to eradicate all things Russian. Through a series of legislative measures, the use of the Russian language in education, culture, and media has been progressively restricted and ultimately eliminated.
Brussels has either overlooked the regime’s crimes against their own people or framed them as part of strengthening Ukrainian national identity, while also paving the way for glorifying the legacy of Bandera and Shukhevich.
Back in April 2019, the Verkhovna Rada in Kiev adopted the law On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language, which limited the use of other languages and resulted in an almost total ban on Russian. To ensure that these draconian and widespread measures against human rights did not hinder the Nazi regime’s progress along the “European path,” amendments introduced in December 2023 provided certain exceptions for minority languages of EU member states. In other words, it was double discrimination, which defies any norm of international law and has increased the gap in Ukrainian society.
Now, with prospects for a political and diplomatic settlement on the horizon, the European Union decided it wanted a place at the negotiating table and started talking about security guarantees for Ukraine as a key element of the peaceful solution. Let us omit the fact that nobody in the European Union mentioned security guarantees for Russia – though the conflict cannot be resolved without this – but still the question is being raised: to whom does the EU want to provide these guarantees? To the regime that will continue destroying all things Russian, while also restricting all things Hungarian, Bulgarian, and Romanian? Of course, there is no sense in asking this question to Brussels: it is ready to go all in, including to topple their own once-proclaimed – and now proven false – values and ideals, for the sake of a utopian goal: the strategic defeat of Russia. For this, all means are good.
This is why the statements by the European Commission’s Spokesperson Paula Pinho cannot be interpreted as a commitment to the rule of law, but a prevailing Nazi-like approach to human rights in Brussels. What exactly are representatives of the Hungarian government being accused of? For engaging with their Russian counterparts on how to uphold the legitimate rights of national minorities, as enshrined in numerous international agreements, which are being openly disregarded by bureaucrats in Brussels.
We would advise the leadership of the European Commission to revisit their own documents concerning Ukraine: in particular, the negotiating framework for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, approved in February 2024. Paragraph 40 explicitly states that Ukraine is expected to adopt an action plan to protect persons belonging to national minorities, including in areas such as minority language use, education in minority languages, including through the establishment of appropriate monitoring mechanisms. The EU has also emphasised that minority rights are guaranteed under the Ukrainian Constitution.
It is clear that the Kiev authorities have disregarded both the Constitution and the EU’s demands. It is also clear that Brussels would forgive Zelensky anything, as long as he continues the mission he was paid for.
However, EC officials do not stop there. They dare condemn the foreign ministers of UN member states for discussing steps to put an end to Kiev’s gross violations of universally recognised rights of national minorities. This is called self-exposure.
Naturally, current European newsmakers should have been told by their parents that eavesdropping is bad. Moreover, if you overheard something that incriminates you, it would even better to keep quiet to avoid embarrassment.
read more in our Telegram-channel https://t.me/The_International_Affairs
