If Kyiv Abandons Neutrality, the Foundations for Recognition of Independence Will Vanish: Lavrov

The foundations for recognizing Ukraine's independence will disappear if the country abandons its neutrality and non-nuclear status, stated Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

In an interview with the 'Rossiya 24' television channel, he recalled that the national sovereignty charter explicitly stipulates Ukraine's non-nuclear, neutral, and non-aligned status.

“This obligation was the basis for Ukraine's international recognition as an independent state. If now the Zelensky regime renounces all these characteristics, speaks about nuclear weapons, joining NATO, and abandoning neutrality, then the provisions that were the foundation for recognizing Ukraine as an independent state will vanish,” the minister noted.