Ukraine shouldn't be territory for geo-political confrontation - Lavrov

MOSCOW, April 24 (Itar-Tass) - The West uses Ukraine as a pawn in geo-political game, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at an opening of the global university forum in the Russian capital on Thursday. In his words, the United States and the European Union have taken an attempt to stage “another colour revolution, an operation for unconstitutional change of power” in Ukraine. “Meanwhile few serious analysts doubt that not only Ukraine’s future is at stake, Ukraine was just used and they continue to try to use the country as a pawn in geo-political game,” the minister said, adding that “Moreover, our Western partners do not feel ashamed that an attempt to fulfil their plans with aid of current Kiev authorities which find support in ultranationalist, neo-Nazi forces, is an absolutely infeasible variant.” Lavrov noted that after all the EU “has a growing number of sober opinions, appeals to break finally the chain of absurd actions regarding Ukrainian crisis and in essence admits a danger of an artificial choice between the West and the East imposed on Ukraine.” “We have warned beforehand that these attempts are counterproductive,” he noted. “If someone scrutinises seriously events in the last two and a half decades Russia has done much more than anyone else for support of independence and peaceful development of the brotherly Ukrainian people and has allocated tens of billions of dollars for these purposes since the Soviet Union breakup,” the foreign minister said. “Far from all have drawn conclusions from the Cold War lessons. Despite political declarations taken at the top level we failed to advance in forming a common space of security and stability on European continent,” the minister noted, adding that “Instead of this our Western partners, primarily the U.S. wants to behave as winners in the Cold War and pretend that they can not to take into account Russia in European affairs and to take actions causing direct damage to Russian interests.” “Accusations against Russia that the country responding to the free expression of will of Crimean residents had undermined the spirit of partnership in Europe do not cost the paper on which they are written,” the minister said, adding that “This spirit, spirit of partnership and a serious work of shaping a climate of true trust on our continent were sacrificed to the policy of deterrence of our country which [the policy] the West had never abandoned.” “We called for joint efforts,” the minister said, noting that “This approach was used in adopting agreements on Iranian nuclear programme and taking a decision on chemical disarmament in Syria.” “We hope that a path that will meet interests of all Ukrainian people will be chosen to settle current Ukrainian crisis.” “We are convinced that Ukraine preserving legislatively fixed off-bloc status of the country should be not a space for geo-political confrontation, but a uniting link between Russia and Western Europe, ensuring advancement which Russia and the EU leadership call for - progress in forming a common economic and humanitarian space from the Atlantic to the Pacific,” Lavrov added. Learn more on itar-tass.com