Russia announces expanded war goals beyond Ukraine’s Donbass

Russian Overseas Minister Sergei Lavrov walks after a bilateral assembly on the G20 international ministers assembly in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, July 8, 2022. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/Pool

LONDON (Reuters) – Russian Overseas Minister Sergei Lavrov mentioned on Wednesday that Moscow’s army “missions” in Ukraine now transcend the jap Donbass area, within the clearest admission but that it has expanded its warfare goals.

In an interview with state media almost 5 months after the Russian invasion, the international minister additionally mentioned that peace talks are meaningless in the intervening time as a result of Western governments are inclined to Ukraine to battle somewhat than negotiate.

Ukraine’s international minister responded by saying that Russia wished “blood, not talks”.

When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, President Vladimir Putin brazenly denied any intention to occupy his neighbour. He then mentioned his objective was to disarm and “discredit” Ukraine – an announcement that Kyiv and the West rejected as a pretext for an imperial-style expansionist warfare.

However Lavrov mentioned geographic realities had modified since Russian and Ukrainian negotiators held peace talks in Turkey in late March that had yielded no breakthrough.

He mentioned the main target on the time was on the Donetsk and Luhansk Folks’s Republics (DPR and LPR), two self-styled separatist entities in jap Ukraine that Russia mentioned aimed to expel Ukrainian authorities forces from it.

“Now the geography is completely different, it’s removed from solely the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the LPR, but in addition the Kherson, Zaporizhia and a variety of different areas,” he mentioned, referring to areas exterior the Donbass that have been utterly or partially captured by Russia.

This course of continues logically and persistently.”

Ukrainian Overseas Minister Dmytro Kuleba responded: “By admitting his desires to grab extra Ukrainian lands, the Russian international minister proves that Russia rejects diplomacy and focuses on warfare and terrorism. The Russians need blood, not talks.”

Lavrov mentioned Russia could have to push deeper if the West, motivated by “impotent anger” or a need to irritate the state of affairs additional, continues to inject Ukraine with long-range weapons such because the US-made Excessive Mobility Missile Methods (HIMARS).

“Which means that the geographical missions will prolong past the present line,” he mentioned.

He mentioned Russia couldn’t enable Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “or his alternative” to threaten its territory, the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the LPR with long-term regimes – an occasional reference and with none proof to the chance that the Ukrainian chief could not stay in energy.

Having did not seize the Ukrainian capital Kyiv at the beginning of the warfare, Russia mentioned in March that it will deal with “attaining the primary objective, which is the liberation of Donbass”.

Nearly 4 months later, it has captured Luhansk, one in every of two provinces that make up the Donbass, however continues to be removed from capturing all the opposite provinces, Donetsk. Previously few weeks, it has intensified its missile assaults on cities throughout Ukraine.

Lavrov spoke a day after the White Home introduced that Russia had begun to place ahead a plan to annex massive components of southern Ukraine underneath the quilt of “sham referendums”.

Russian-imposed officers in Kherson and Zaporizhia outlined plans for public referendums within the coming months. The Kremlin says it’s as much as the individuals who reside there to resolve their future.

Extra reporting by Max Hunder in Kyiv, writing by Mark Trevelyan. Modifying by Catherine Evans / Mark Heinrich

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