https://sputniknews.in/20250819/russia-never-sought-to-seize-donbass-aims-at-protecting-russians---lavrov-9622613.html
Russia Never Sought to Seize Donbass, Aims at Protecting Russians - Lavrov
Russia Never Sought to Seize Donbass, Aims at Protecting Russians - Lavrov
Sputnik India
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia has never sought to simply seize territories, be it Crimea, Donbass or Novorossiya, its goal is to protect Russians who have... 19.08.2025, Sputnik India
2025-08-19T17:00+0530
2025-08-19T17:00+0530
2025-08-19T17:40+0530
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in an interview with a Russian media programme, addressed major international topics including ongoing Ukraine conflict negotiations and the recent meeting between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Alaska.Lavrov described the Alaska meeting as showing genuine intent from the US side to find a long-term, sustainable solution to the Ukraine crisis. He contrasted this with European countries, which he said focused only on ceasefire calls while continuing arms supplies to Ukraine.On Russia’s actions in Crimea and Donbass, Lavrov stressed that territorial conquest was never the aim.Regarding the Ukraine conflict, Lavrov noted that Trump and his team took a more balanced approach, recognising the need to address the root causes—an issue Putin and Lavrov have consistently emphasised.Lavrov also criticised Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky’s refusal to discuss territorial exchanges, citing constitutional constraints, while simultaneously allowing restrictions on the Russian language and cultural rights, which are protected by Ukraine’s constitution.
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Russia Never Sought to Seize Donbass, Aims at Protecting Russians - Lavrov
17:00 19.08.2025 (Updated: 17:40 19.08.2025) MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia has never sought to simply seize territories, be it Crimea, Donbass or Novorossiya, its goal is to protect Russians who have historically lived on these lands, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in an interview with a Russian media programme, addressed major international topics including ongoing Ukraine conflict negotiations and the recent meeting between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Alaska.
Lavrov described the Alaska meeting as showing genuine intent from the US side to find a long-term, sustainable solution to the Ukraine crisis. He contrasted this with European countries, which he said focused only on ceasefire calls while continuing arms supplies to Ukraine.
On Russia’s actions in Crimea and Donbass, Lavrov stressed that territorial conquest was never the aim.
“I would like to emphasise once again that we have never talked about simply seizing any territories. Neither Crimea, nor Donbass, nor Novorossiya as territories have ever been our goal. Our goal was to protect people — Russian people who have lived on these lands for centuries, who discovered these lands, shed blood for them both in Crimea and in Donbass, and built cities like Odessa, Mykolaiv, and many others, as well as ports, factories, and plants,” Lavrov said.
Regarding the Ukraine conflict, Lavrov noted that Trump and his team took a more balanced approach, recognising the need to address the root causes—an issue Putin and Lavrov have consistently emphasised.
Lavrov also criticised Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky’s refusal to discuss territorial exchanges, citing constitutional constraints, while simultaneously allowing restrictions on the Russian language and cultural rights, which are protected by Ukraine’s constitution.
