Lavrov demanded specifics from the West on security guarantees for Ukraine

Russia will demand a specific answer from the West, to whom and for what "security guarantees" are given in Ukraine. This was stated on February 10 by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in an interview with NTV.

"And here, you see, is the language of the "aggressor", the insane Peacemaker website. Will all this remain under the "security guarantees" of the West? And the lists forbidding mentioning Mikhail Lermontov, Alexander Pushkin, Mikhail Bulgakov, Nicholas II as symbols of Russian imperialism — is this a civilized country? We will require a specific answer to these questions. Security guarantees for whom and for what," Lavrov said.

He added that the President of the European Commission (EC), Ursula von der Leyen, says every day that it is necessary to "stand with Ukraine" because she defends "European values."

"So their values are Nazism, Russophobia and a completely unprecedented attack on the Russian language," the Russian Foreign Minister said.

According to him, when a settlement in Ukraine is reached, the control mechanisms will require careful coordination, primarily through the military. Lavrov stressed that all the security guarantees previously discussed in Istanbul with Ukraine have now expired.

"Nothing was done when, a couple of weeks after the start of the special military operation, we agreed to the Ukrainian proposal in Istanbul in April 2022. Security guarantees also occupied a central place there," the Russian Foreign Minister noted.

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Is a compromise possible while the West "does not see" Moscow's interests?

On the same day, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko announced the key importance of Russian security guarantees in the Ukraine deal. The diplomat noted that the guarantees should include the exclusion of the prospect of Ukraine's membership in NATO, the refusal to deploy foreign troops on its territory and, in general, assurances that Ukraine would not pose a threat.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.