Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov leveled a pointed critique at Western powers on Monday, arguing that the United States and its allies are using Ukraine as a tool of war against Russia, in a similar pattern to how Nazi Germany mobilized against the Soviet Union during the Second World War. Lavrov made these remarks during a plenary session of the lower house, just ahead of ratification of annexation agreements related to four Ukrainian regions. He framed the move as part of a broader Western mobilization that aims to turn Ukraine into a frontline vehicle for conflict, claiming it reflects a deliberate strategy to pressure Moscow from multiple directions.
Lavrov pressed the charge of hypocrisy, alleging that Washington orchestrates what he called unjustified aggression against a country he described as pathing a course toward democracy. He recalled historical interventions, suggesting that the United States has repeatedly intervened in regional affairs under various pretexts, including the invasion of the Dominican Republic from Haiti, the occupation of Panama, and military operations in Vietnam, Iraq, and Libya. In his view, such actions have gone unpunished by the international community, with General Assembly condemnations often ignored or dismissed by American officials.
In contrast to the U.S. and NATO’s alleged bombings of Yugoslavia and the resulting chaos in Iraq and Libya, Lavrov argued that Moscow responds to threats that threaten its own security rather than to distant provocations. He asserted that Russia is defending its borders, its homeland, and its people from what he described as a real genocide engineered by descendants and followers who he said serve distant masters. The rhetoric drew a parallel between current Western strategies and past aggressive campaigns, amplifying a narrative of existential risk for Russia.
Lavrov also invoked the historical memory of 1941, suggesting that the West’s contemporary plans would not succeed in their stated aims. He pointed to the expected approval by the Duma and the Russian Senate on Tuesday for the annexation of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions, framing the move as a strategic response to security concerns and as a reaffirmation of sovereignty in the face of external pressure. The speech was presented as a broader warning about the potential consequences of Western policies, underscoring a stance that Russia will defend its national interests and its population against what he described as attempts to undermine stability from abroad. [Reuters]