Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that Washington is obstructing the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations in an effort to prolong the war, considering that the United States aims to bring down his country to dominate the world order.

"The Ukrainian side is repeatedly changing its position," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, adding that "it is difficult not to have the impression that our American colleagues are holding them (Ukrainians) in their hands."

In a speech to students, Lavrov stressed that "the Americans are simply based on the principle that the speedy end of this path is not in their interest."

He considered that "many want these negotiations to be a dead end," noting that among these parties is Poland.

Lavrov stressed that "Western countries want to play the role of mediator, we are not against this, but we have red lines."

He accused Western countries of "dumping Ukraine with weapons through shipments destined for it," adding, "It seems that (the United States) wants to keep us engaged in military operations for as long as possible."

Lavrov expressed his "shock" at the size of the sanctions imposed by Western countries on Russia against the backdrop of its war on Ukraine.

The minister put these sanctions within the framework of a Western effort aimed at "removing Russia as an obstacle to a unipolar world," considering that "all this is not related to Ukraine, but to the desire for a world order that the United States wants to dominate."

Dmitry Medvedev (right) is considered one of the most prominent close associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin (Anatolia - Archive)

Medvedev's statements

For his part, Dmitry Medvedev, who is one of the most prominent confidants of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said that the United States aims to humiliate, divide and eventually destroy Russia, and pledged that Russia will never allow this to happen.

In a message on Telegram, Medvedev added that such a plan - if ever realized - would have catastrophic consequences for the world.

"Russia will never allow this to happen," said Medvedev, who held the presidency from 2008 to 2012 and is now deputy secretary-general of the Russian Security Council.