Ukraine Itself Did Not Want to Preserve Its Territorial Integrity, Lavrov Says

Ukraine would now be within its 1991 borders if it had not disrupted the settlement agreement in February 2014, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in a press conference with journalists.

“Ukraine itself has undermined its territorial integrity through those who came to power via a bloody coup. Agreements were reached at the time, and had they been implemented, Ukraine would have preserved its territorial integrity, but of course, without Crimea. However, Ukraine did not want to preserve its territorial integrity by granting Donbas, Luhansk, and Donetsk the right to elementary autonomy,” Lavrov stated, also touching upon the recent proposal by Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed at resolving the conflict.

“The initiative by Russian President Vladimir Putin is already the fourth proposal from Moscow aimed at resolving the conflict in Ukraine,” Lavrov added.