The leadership of the Russian Federation promotes the narrative that Ukraine is part of the Kremlin's idea of the "Russian world" - an "amorphous ideological and geographical concept" which, according to Russia, includes all former territories of Kyivan Rus', the Muscovy Tsardom, the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and the modern Russian Federation. This is stated in the material of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), reports UNN.
Details
Analysts refer to an interview given by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to NBC, in which he reiterated the Kremlin's rejection of US-proposed peace initiatives in Ukraine.
Lavrov stated that Russia would achieve its military goals, which he defined as eliminating threats to Russia's security "emanating from Ukrainian territory," protecting the rights of "ethnic Russians and Russian-speaking population who consider themselves part of Russian culture and Russian history," and Ukraine's neutrality.
They also point to Lavrov's words that Ukraine has the right to exist, but only as long as it does not "let go" of ethnic Russians and Russian-speakers who "believe they belong to Russian culture," while Russia is "obliged" to support and protect those who share the values of the Russian language and the "Russian world."
"Lavrov's statements... confirm the Kremlin's consistent claims that the 'root causes' of the war are NATO's eastward expansion and Ukraine's discrimination against Russian speakers," the analysts summarize.
Recall
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that strikes on enterprises with foreign capital that could be used for military purposes were justified, and accused the West of disrupting negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow. He also questioned the legitimacy of President Zelenskyy and rejected accusations of Russian attacks on civilian targets.