Merkle, Hollande, Poroshenko "destroyed Ukraine's territorial integrity"--Lavrov

The headline shouts the indisputable truth of the situation that the West continues to choke on, which is why its suggestions for a “peace” arrived at along the same lines as the Minsk Agreements—which were made into International Law via unanimous approval at the UNSC—will be rejected pro forma by Russia as Lavrov makes clear in his interview with TASS. For those wanting to view it, the video is available at the link. For a change, the interview is short, covering only four topics of current interest.

Question: The first question, of course, concerns Ukraine. It is already clear that Ukraine's "counteroffensive" has failed. In the Western press, there are more and more theses that negotiations are possible this fall. Are there any prerequisites for this?

Sergey Lavrov: We don't see them. President Vladimir Putin, your humble servant and Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov have made many comments on this matter. The West, when it starts launching such provocative rumors, apparently tests our readiness to agree to its terms. And they don't really hide them. Take a break for several months and no agreements, except for a temporary ceasefire, and in the time gained, pump Ukraine with new weapons in addition to what has already been delivered and what is being systematically destroyed by our armed forces. The logic is the same as in the case of the Minsk agreements.

They also admitted that no one was going to fulfill the Minsk agreements: neither Germany, nor France, let alone Ukraine. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, former French President Francois Hollande, and former Ukrainian President Petr Poroshenko openly stated back in 2022 that these agreements were needed only to buy time to replenish the Ukrainian regime's military arsenals against the Russian Federation. If they had fulfilled the Minsk agreements, then the territorial integrity of Ukraine would have been ensured, because that was their essence. Territorial integrity is restored when special status is granted to Donbass, Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republics. President Vladimir Putin's co-authors of the Minsk Agreements openly admitted that they had misled him and had no intention of complying with them, and that it was they who destroyed Ukraine's territorial integrity, which is now being constantly taken care of.

We see these plans. We were ready not only during the preparation of the Minsk Agreements for a settlement, but also in April 2022, when Ukraine proposed the option of ending hostilities and resolving the situation based on the provision of mutual reliable security guarantees. But it was also withdrawn at the request of Washington and London. This is now well known. Therefore, we should not be blamed for the lack of goodwill. President of Russia Vladimir Putin has been talking about this all the time. In April 2022, when we were ready to sign the agreements, the Ukrainians assured that they would also put their signatures. As a gesture of goodwill, we have ceased hostilities and even carried out a certain redeployment of our armed forces. Those who thwarted this agreement took advantage of this.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin has just mentioned this. We are ready for negotiations and consider any serious proposals, but there can be no talk of any ceasefire for the period of negotiations. Because we have already been deceived on this once.

Speaking about how all this can end. We do not see any serious proposal from the West. Yes, there were visits to us by African delegations who advocated a peaceful settlement, as well as proposals from China, Brazil and a number of other countries, including the Arab League. All of them were dictated by a sincere desire to help reach an agreement, and on the basis of taking into account the root causes in the current situation, eliminating them and ensuring security for all parties on equal terms.

Now the West is "throwing" the opportunity to start negotiations. At the same time, it simultaneously loudly and categorically declares that the only basis for negotiations is "Vladimir Zelensky's peace formula." It doesn't even have anything to discuss. This is a pure ultimatum. No one in his mind can promote such an ultimatum as the only basis for negotiations. Unless he seeks to disrupt these negotiations and prevent them. Here's the situation.

Our position remains valid. We are ready to come to an agreement, but taking into account the realities that have developed on the ground and our position, which is well known to everyone. Also, taking into account our interests, the interests of our security and preventing the creation of a hostile Nazi regime on the borders of Russia, which openly declared the goal of exterminating everything Russian in the lands that both in the Crimea and in Novorossia had been mastered, settled and settled by the Russian people for centuries. That is the crux of the problem now. We do not see any serious progress on the western side. The Kiev regime continues to act and behave as if it is he who "orders the music", and the entire West repeats in chorus "not a word about Ukraine without Ukraine" and "the conditions for the start of negotiations will be determined by V.A. Zelensky."

In general, the circle is closed. This is an absolute dead end. It either does not reflect the presence of common sense in the minds of those who lead this war against Russia, or reflects their irreparable confidence that they will "defeat" Russia. Both do no honor to the West, Western diplomats and thinkers.

Question: I can't help but ask a question on a hot topic – this is Armenia. Do you think it can happen that Armenia will lose Russia?

Sergey Lavrov: There are many people who want to lose Russia and make new friends.

Historically, geographically, geopolitically, it is impossible to lose Russia in the sense of completely ignoring its interests in Transcaucasia. But such hopes are cherished by some leaders in Yerevan. They talk about it directly.

A similar idea slipped through the recent speech of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who spoke about the need to compensate for the "failed" alliances that Armenia was counting on in terms of ensuring its security, and to expand the circle of partners who will ensure this security.

If they rely on the United States (this directly follows from the statements of many representatives of the Armenian leadership), then it would probably be good for them to look at recent history, how the United States treated those whom it sought to take under its wing, promoting its geopolitical interests in areas of the world far from American shores. The fate of all these people is very unenviable.

Question: I would like to ask a question about Georgia. As you know, direct flights between our countries have recently been restored. A decree on visa-free travel for Georgian citizens was also signed. Do you see the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations in the near future?

Sergey Lavrov: We did not break off diplomatic relations. It was an initiative of the regime of Mikhail Saakashvili, which, with the encouragement of the United States, "raised his hand" against its own citizens and Ossetians (whom it considered its citizens), as well as peacekeepers. When he received a worthy response, he began to "compensate" for his complete political and military failure with anti-Russian actions.

We have never had a negative attitude towards the Georgian people. We truly love the Georgian people, like all the peoples of Transcaucasia. Georgians occupy a special place in the history of Russia, the Soviet Union and our art, culture and science.

We saw that the current government in Tbilisi is interested in normalizing relations, at least in the interests of ordinary citizens. People want to communicate with each other, visit each other, visit both countries as tourists, and run the business that has traditionally linked our economic systems.

We agreed with the government of I.T. Garibashvili on the resumption of flights and abolished the visa regime for Georgian citizens. A visa-free regime for Russians has existed for a long time. Many of our citizens used it. The introduction of a visa-free regime now on the basis of reciprocity for Georgian citizens, and the establishment of air communication, makes our relations much more convenient and comfortable. The number of flights is expanding and the geography of direct flights too. Trade turnover is growing. Many traditional Georgian export goods are popular with us: wine, Borjomi and much more.

Question: President of Russia Vladimir Putin has announced Russia's readiness to host the BRICS Games in the summer of 2024. Can these games become an alternative to the Olympics in the future?

Sergey Lavrov: No. Just as the BRICS, as an interstate association, is being strengthened and expanded (and will continue to expand) not against anyone, but solely in the interests of the participating countries, in the same way, the BRICS sports games are conceived not against the Olympic movement, but as a complement to it.

Unfortunately, this movement, as a result of the position taken by the President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, is turning into an instrument of Western policy. This is quite obvious. Just as at one time the World Anti-Doping Agency was turned into such a tool and for many years tried to "undermine" competitors from our country on various international platforms, grossly abusing anti-doping rules, repeatedly and groundlessly accusing our great athletes. In the same way, the International Olympic Committee is now using the situation around Ukraine in order to grossly and directly violate the Olympic Charter. At the same time, by suspending the majority of our athletes from competitions, it makes exceptions for certain sports, age groups in neutral status, without a flag and without an anthem, as some kind of "huge positive step".

T. Bach has repeatedly stated that the Olympic Charter must be respected. But not to the same extent. The meaning of his statements is that the IOC cannot ignore what is happening in Ukraine. For many years he passed by everything that the West was doing. And he "created" tens of thousands of miles from his borders and got away with it all. For many years, Russia has been warning the entire world community that NATO is leading the way to a big war, directly creating military threats on the borders of the Russian Federation, encouraging the regime, openly prepared by Washington to contain Russia, to attack our country. Then the Olympic Committee decided to show its incomprehensible adherence to principles contrary to its obligations in accordance with the Olympic Charter. At the same time, Mr Bach recently spoke about the Olympic Charter and the need to avoid its politicisation. Under this "sauce", he said that the IOC will strongly encourage the involvement of transgender people in the Olympic Games. That is, in this sense, they do not see any policy? God is their judge.

Returning to the BRICS games. They are scheduled for June 2024 in Kazan. All these competitions are open to athletes from any country, even from "unfriendly" countries. We do not have unfriendly athletes, citizens and even countries. There are unfriendly governments that for some time came to power in states whose peoples and citizens have always had good and good relations with us. The Games will be open to all athletes in full compliance with the principles of the Olympic Charter. Let the International Olympic Committee "shake its mustache" and draw conclusions.

Armenia is undergoing the same sort of destabilization as Moldova, and similar to that which befell Georgia. Lavrov’s warning about the fate of those who ally with the Outlaw US Empire has great validity and needs to be taken to heart by the citizens of Armenia and Moldova. The difference between those two nations and Ukraine is simple: There were never any Nazi affiliated groups within them that were supported since 1945 by the West, and the majority of citizens hold the opposite position of those at the head of their governments when it comes to relations with Russia. Those citizens now recognize the huge mistake they made in supporting politicians with false fronts who are essentially agents of the West. Recall that at the UNGA presser Lavrov said that NATO’s aim is to defeat Russia on the battlefield and that Russia is ready for NATO to try. NATO’s very visible inability to support Ukraine ought to provide a very serious hint to Armenian and Moldovan politicos.

As for the debasement of the Olympic Movement, I’m just as appalled as Lavrov and have closely followed the railroading of Russian athletes since the USSR’s days. IMO, the IOC is an example of what was once a neutral international organization that lived up to its principles that having been corrupted by the West has its future gravely questioned as the BRICS Games aren’t its only challenger. The currently ongoing Asian Games that get great coverage by China but none by the West is another example. Bolstering Lavrov’s position is Acting President Randhir Singh of the Olympic Committee of Asia in his interview with Global Times reporters at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China:

"Politics is politics, and sports is sports. They should not be mixed,"…

"Politics should be kept separately, while we are here to promote friendship and love between each other," Singh noted. "It is not a time for politics. This is 15 days or a month that one can keep the politics away and participate and enjoy the Games."

As the West builds its walls higher and causes the world to divide into two Blocs, the fate of the International Olympic Committee seems preordained given the choices it’s made. Unfortunately as it is with most sport in the West, it’s all about the money, with the athletes used as pawns and the sporting events as platforms for propaganda from governments and monopoly businesses.