Lavrov's TASS Interview 28 March 2023

Lavrov was briefly interviewed by TASS earlier today. Some further analysis by me follows:

Question: Relations between Russia and the United States. Earlier it was reported that the parties conducted "some contacts" on the START Treaty. Do they continue, and what terrible thing must happen for Moscow and Washington to finally sit down at the negotiating table and begin to agree on a new world order?

Sergey Lavrov: There are no contacts with the Americans on the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. They write us notes, protest and say that we have no right to make the decision that we have made. These are all legally insignificant arguments. We explained very clearly both in president of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin's speech and in the Foreign Ministry's statement that the Americans have undermined the fundamental principles on which the treaty is based. They are set out in the preamble, which explicitly states that Russia and the United States will develop a cooperative relationship based on mutual trust, respect, and security indivisibility in the context of their efforts to maintain strategic stability. There is no need to convince anyone that all these principles have been violated and discarded by the current US Administration.

Do you know what else we are accused of? We announced that, despite the suspension of our participation in the treaty, for the period of its validity until 2026 we will comply with the quantitative indicators fixed in it. They said that, allegedly, Russia is trying to selectively fulfill its obligations under the treaty. It's not that.

We have suspended our participation in this treaty completely. Our readiness to maintain the treaty's strategic offensive arms ceilings is nothing more than a gesture of goodwill.

As for your question about what needs to happen for us to resume our contacts with the United States. They must change their behaviour and return to the civilized principles of inter-State relations, including those enshrined in the START Treaty. Of course, they should be guided by the principles of the UN Charter, which enshrines the need to respect the sovereign equality of states. Their actions directly contradict this principle. A hybrid war has been declared against Russia, and an all-encompassing one at that. In a situation where the United States is pursuing such a policy, I do not see what changes should occur, except within the American establishment and the "collective West", which will be completely crushed by Washington.

We hope that someday reason will prevail, the logic of dialogue will prevail, not confrontation, the logic of the balance of interests, and not the solution of our geopolitical tasks through hybrid and other wars. But so far we see no signs that the United States is ready to even think about the need to return to the origins enshrined in international legal documents, primarily in the UN Charter.

Question: In recent weeks, the subject of Transnistria has been loud and quiet again. What is your forecast: what will happen to Transnistria and can a situation arise when Russia will need direct protection of the Russian world there?

Sergey Lavrov: There are 220,<> Russian citizens living in Transnistria. Of course, we are responsible for them. There is our peacekeeping contingent and a group of troops guarding a huge ammunition depot in Kolbasna. And we have a mandate that was agreed upon in due course with all parties. We are convinced that this mandate remains fully relevant. We will be guided by it.

If we talk about the general situation in Transnistria, then, of course, it has degraded as a result of the policy that the Moldovan government, headed by President M.G. Sandu, decided to pursue. This policy is openly anti-Russian, anti-Russian, anti-Transnistrian.

The law introduced punishment for the so-called separatism. But we do not see separatist sentiments in Transnistria. We see in the leadership of Pridnestrovie a firm desire to fulfill the agreements concluded in the "5 + 2" format and aimed at a full-fledged, mutually acceptable settlement of the status of Pridnestrovie.

Unfortunately, the 5+2 format is essentially frozen. To a large extent, this was facilitated by the line of the West, which decided to take the "settlement" into its own hands, impose it on Tiraspol and fully supports the confrontational, short-sighted, dead-end policy of President M.G. Sandu.

The Ukrainian leadership also plays an extremely negative and subversive role, which, in violation of its status as a mediator in the 5+2 format, has unequivocally taken the side of Chisinau, in every possible way supports its bellicose aspirations, destructive aspirations towards Transnistria, digs defensive structures, fortifications between Ukraine and Transnistria and in every possible way demonstrates its readiness to intervene in this process, including with the use of force.

I want to say again that Russia is responsible for security in Transnistria in full accordance with the mandate available to our servicemen. We will be guided by this mandate.

Question: As for Ukraine, I will ask a question that ordinary people come to us, journalists. What will happen to Ukraine and will there be anything left of it?

Sergey Lavrov: This question concerns any normal person who is concerned about the fate of people who live not only in Ukraine, but also in the post-Soviet space as a whole. There is no need to repeat the history of this crisis after the bloody anti-constitutional coup d'état, when the West decided once again to make Russia a threat by nurturing Nazi theory and practice.

In this case, this is done through the leadership of Ukraine, which came to power illegally. We know manifestations of Russophobia and outright racism, when everything Russian is legally prohibited, and Nazi organizations receive direct support from the state. They march openly, including in the presence of foreign guests from Western countries, flaunting patches reproducing the symbols of the SS divisions banned by the verdict of the Nuremberg Tribunal.

In this regard, another important question is – who is fighting for what? President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky "conscientiously" continues the line of his predecessors. After the coup d'état, the first initiative of the putschists who came to power was to demand the abolition of the regional status of the Russian language. Expel the Russians from Crimea.

Then there were the statements of those people who established themselves in power and were recognized by the West. For example, the then Prime Minister of Ukraine A.P. Yatsenyuk called the Russians who did not accept the coup d'état in the south-east of Ukraine "subhumans". Subsequently, Poroshenko, who became President of Ukraine, flaunting his ideas, stated that the Ukrainian regime would definitely defeat those who opposed the coup d'état, that the children of Ukrainians loyal to the regime would study in beautiful kindergartens, schools, universities, and the children of those who did not accept the coup d'état would sit in basements.

Later, when Zelensky was recently asked what he thinks about people in Donbass, he replied that there are people, and there are "creatures". He added that if any of the citizens of Ukraine feels involved in Russian culture, the Russian world, then for the sake of the future of their children and grandchildren, they should go to the territory of Russia.

Now V.A. Zelensky, his camarilla, with the support of Europe, the United States and the collective West as a whole, are demanding the return of the territories that defined the borders of Ukraine in 1991, at the time of its independence. I would like to ask those who indulge in this kind of appeal: how are they going to feel about what will happen to these people? Hypothetically, though it's unimaginable. But those who call for this should think: how will these people, if they suddenly find themselves again in the borders of Ukraine in 1991, feel themselves when they are called "creatures", "inhumans", when they are required to forget everything Russian or to get out on the territory of Russia?

Unlike those who are fighting for such a destiny of Ukraine under the leadership of the current Nazi regime, we are conducting our special military operation for the sake of people who are oppressed in violation of all conceivable international norms and principles, in violation of the foundations on which the independence of Ukraine was proclaimed, whose declaration of independence explicitly states that they want to be a neutral, non-aligned state and will be so. The provision of all the rights of Russian and Russian-speaking and national minorities in general, and the interest in living in peace, good-neighborliness and harmony with all their neighbors are directly declared. All this has now been crossed out and given to the neo-Nazis who "rule the roost" in Kiev.

We know what we're fighting for. We want to free these people from any threat that the current Ukrainian authorities may pose to their lives, traditions, and families. History and geography are not chosen. We have no right to leave these people to be torn apart by the Nazis and racists. [My Emphasis]

Note that Lavrov didn't address the bolded part of the final Q. Rather, he said Russia's R2P will continue to liberate people from the Nazis. Do note Lavrov invoked the "post-Soviet space" along with Nuremburg. My interpretation is the R2P will liberate all people from Nazis inhabiting post-Soviet geographic space, which would include Moldova and the Baltics, along with any other quasi-Nazi nations that get involved like Poland, the Czech Republic, or Germany, etc. Denazification was clearly never completed after WW2 as it was nurtured by the Outlaw US Empire and its allies, so the invoking of Nuremburg implies the completion of that globally desired task.

Although Medvedev has again assured Russians that the overall economy won't be sacrificed at the alter of Total War, Russia's preparing for just that to occur in Europe. NATO is clearly allied with Nazis, so does that make NATO something that must be denazified? What of the EU's Proto-fascists and their undemocratic organization--they're allied with the Nazis too?

The Putin/Xi goal is to eliminate global neoliberal hegemony and establish a peaceful multipolar world. To do that, Europe must be devassalized--freed from the Outlaw US Empire's hegemony and that of its primary partner the UK. Then there's the canker sore in the Levant--Occupied Palestine--that's about to explode into civil war which also must be solved. That leaves the Outlaw US Empire's twin Asian outposts Japan and South Korea (the Philippines might make that three) to liberate hopefully via reason and dialog. So, the chore/task/goal will take several more years to accomplish, as again Ukraine is just one part of the Big Picture.