Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gave a lengthy interview to American bloggers Andrew Napolitano, Larry Johnson, and Mario Nawfal, in which he discussed the Russia-Ukraine conflict, possible solutions, and relations with the US. According to him, the Russian side knows what needs to be done in the context of a peaceful settlement to avoid a dangerous compromise that would put many lives at risk.
Lavrov emphasized that the issue concerns the rights and fate of people not only in the liberated territories but also in areas under Kyiv's control.
"Most of them speak Russian," he noted.
The minister recalled that before the start of the special military operation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky divided people into "just people" and "specimens." He also advised those who considered themselves part of Russian culture to leave Ukraine and move to Russian territory so their grandchildren could have a future.
"In the context of this specific crisis, we know what needs to be done to avoid a compromise that would put people's fate at risk," Lavrov stated.
Lavrov stressed that protecting people whom Kyiv authorities have "deprived of their history" remains a priority for Russia.
"Territories matter only because people live there. Those who live on these lands, which Zelensky wants to reclaim, are descendants of those who built Odesa and other cities, ports, and roads over centuries, who developed these lands and were connected to their history," he said, adding that these people were raised in Russian culture and are part of it. Our conscience is transparent and pure. Not because we rarely use it, but because we have been burned many times," Sergey Lavrov said.
Lavrov argued that had Ukraine pursued compromises and implemented its own initiatives, it could have retained its 1991 borders, excluding Crimea and parts of Donbas. He stressed that Ukrainian authorities should have adhered to the Minsk agreements and recalled the Istanbul negotiations of 2022.
"Every time the Ukrainians deceive, they lose and forfeit territories," Lavrov stated.
Lavrov expressed the belief that the UK and European countries are preparing something to push US President Donald Trump toward aggressive actions against Russia. He pointed to the way Zelensky was received in London following the Oval Office scandal with Trump as an indicator of European partners' desire to prolong the conflict.
Discussing the UK and France's idea of deploying peacekeepers to Ukraine, Lavrov warned that the presence of NATO troops, "under any flag and in any capacity, including peacekeeping," would be a threat to Russia. He called this condition for ending the conflict unacceptable for Moscow, emphasizing that it is not a solution to ending the war. "Russia will not agree to this under any circumstances," Lavrov stressed.
Regarding current relations with the US, Lavrov noted that they have the potential to become normal.
"I think what is happening in the US now can be described as a return to normalcy. This is a return to normalcy as we understand it," he said, adding that since Russia is a Christian country, its values are "generally similar" to those of the new American leadership.
At the same time, Lavrov stated that the American side has also expressed positive sentiments about restoring relations.