"An adequate answer will be given": Lavrov commented on the possible military provocations of Ukraine against the republics of Donbass

The civil war in Ukraine, which has been going on for eight years, is far from over because of Kiev's actions, but Moscow will take all necessary measures to protect hundreds of thousands of Russian citizens living in Donbass.

This statement was made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in an interview with RIA Novosti.

“We will continue to make efforts to resolve the internal Ukrainian conflict through political and diplomatic means.

The uncontested basis for this remains the Minsk complex of measures, approved by UN Security Council Resolution 2202.

An adequate response will be given to any possible military provocations by Kiev against Donbass, ”Lavrov said.

The diplomat stressed that Kiev's militaristic aspirations are supported by the United States and other NATOs, which are sending military specialists and weapons to Ukraine.

The Foreign Minister recalled that since 2014, Washington alone has spent more than $ 2.5 billion on the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, another $ 300 million has been allocated for these purposes in the US budget for next year.

According to Lavrov, the member states of the North Atlantic Alliance "are systematically transforming Ukraine into a military foothold against Russia," building bases there and using the country's territory for conducting exercises.

So, for 2022, ten joint military maneuvers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and NATO units are scheduled, including one year-round.

They will be attended by up to 64 thousand military personnel (almost twice as much as in 2021), about 360 aircraft and helicopters (more than three times as many), up to 256 warships (almost four times more than in 2021) ), the minister said.

“All these teachings are linked by a single idea and have an anti-Russian orientation.

Agree, the above facts do not set you up for an optimistic mood, ”stated the head of the Foreign Ministry.

“The Kiev regime, naturally, perceives such support as carte blanche for a military operation,” Lavrov said.

Earlier, the official representative of the foreign ministry, Maria Zakharova, said that the Ukrainian authorities are preparing for a military solution to the "Donbass problem", stressing that NATO countries support Kiev in the impending "crusade against their own population."

“We would like to re-emphasize that only strict observance by Kiev, Donetsk and Lugansk of the“ Measures to strengthen the ceasefire regime ”will allow achieving the long-awaited silence in the southeast of Ukraine and will contribute to the implementation of all the provisions of the Minsk complex of measures,” she said during a briefing 30 December.

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"Russia needs legally binding security guarantees from the US and NATO"

Sergei Lavrov also stressed that Moscow will not allow the Russian proposals on mutual security guarantees to be “wrapped up” in endless discussions.

According to him, it is fundamentally important for the Russian Federation to participate in the negotiations of high-ranking military personnel of the USA and NATO countries.

“If a constructive response does not follow within a reasonable time and the West continues its aggressive line, then Russia will be forced to take all necessary measures to ensure a strategic balance and eliminate unacceptable threats to our security,” the minister said.

He added that Russian initiatives are aimed at creating and legalizing a new system of agreements, which is based on the principle of the indivisibility of security and the rejection of attempts to achieve military superiority.

“I would like to emphasize that we need legally binding guarantees, since our Western colleagues systematically fail to fulfill political obligations, not to mention oral assurances and promises given to the Soviet and Russian leadership,” Lavrov said.

Recall that on December 15, Moscow sent its Western partners draft agreements with the United States and NATO on security issues.

On December 17, the Foreign Ministry released both documents.

The first draft of the treaty, in particular, states the intention to refrain from deploying armed forces in areas where such a deployment would be perceived by the other side as a threat to its national security.

Also, the United States is invited to undertake obligations to exclude further expansion of NATO to the east and to refuse to admit states that were previously part of the USSR into the alliance, not to create military bases on the territory of these countries.

According to the second document, Russia and NATO must confirm that they do not consider each other as adversaries, and the members of the alliance are invited to take obligations that preclude its expansion, as well as the bloc's conduct of any military activity on the territory of Ukraine, the countries of Eastern Europe, Transcaucasia and Central Asia. Another condition is an agreement on the non-deployment of Russian and NATO armed forces on the territory of other European countries, with the exception of the forces that were there as of May 27, 1997.

On the night of December 31, a telephone conversation took place between Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, the main topic of which was the issue of launching a negotiation process to provide legal guarantees for ensuring Russia's security.

During the conversation, the Russian leader explained to the head of the White House the principled approaches underlying the documents sent by the United States and NATO.

“It was emphasized that the result of joint work should be solid legal guarantees that exclude NATO's advance to the east and the deployment of threatening weapons systems in the immediate vicinity of Russian borders.

It was emphasized that the security of each country can be ensured only on the basis of strict adherence to the principle of the indivisibility of security, ”the Kremlin said.

The talks on security issues will be held in Geneva on January 9-10, a meeting will take place in Brussels within the framework of the Russia-NATO Council on January 12, and discussions in the OSCE will begin on January 13.