Russia’s foreign minister has again called on the United States and NATO to stop supplying weapons to Kyiv if “they are really interested in resolving the crisis in Ukraine,” Chinese state media reported. “If the US and NATO are really interested in resolving the crisis in Ukraine, then first of all, they should wake up and stop supplying the Kiev regime with weapons and ammunition,” Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with Xinhua official Chinese news agency. The United States and many European countries have supplied billions of dollars worth of weapons to Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. US President Joe Biden has asked Congress for $ 33 billion to support Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly warned Washington not to continue its military aid to Kyiv, accusing the United States of “adding fuel to the flames” of the war. The Kremlin had previously described Western arms deliveries to Ukraine as a threat to European security. Months after the failed invasion of Kyiv in the short term, Moscow is now stepping up operations in the eastern Donbass region of Ukraine. However, Lavrov told the official Chinese news agency Xinhua that the “special military operation… is proceeding strictly according to plan.” China has avoided condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine and is defending its firm friendship with Moscow, with state media often covering the Russian line in the war. Russia has said Western sanctions and arms shipments to Ukraine are hampering peace talks. Lavrov said talks were continuing – but that progress was difficult. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Polish journalists that the chances were “high” that talks to end the conflict could end without any agreement. “The risks of ending the talks are high because of what they (the Russians) have left behind, the impression that they have a book on the murder of people,” the Interfax news agency quoted Zelensky as saying to Polish journalists. The shaky conversations have not been in person for a month.
Western sanctions
The West has imposed wide-ranging sanctions, largely cutting off Russia’s financial sector from the world economy. Hundreds of multinationals have also fled Russia in the aftermath of the war in a blow to its economy. European countries have pledged to reduce their dependence on Russian gas to deprive Moscow of revenue. In an interview with Xinhua, Lavrov said Russia could “re-equip” its economy to protect itself from possible “illegal hostilities.” He added that the country affected by the sanctions would focus on moving away from the US dollar and relying less on imports, while strengthening its technological independence, Xinhua reported. Moscow has pursued a policy of “de-dollarization” for several years, calling on partners such as China and India to make payments in other currencies. (Al Jazeera) Meanwhile, Ukrainian prosecutors say they have identified more than 8,000 war crimes and are investigating 10 Russian soldiers for suspected atrocities in Bukha, where dozens of bodies in civilian clothes were found after Moscow’s retreat. Moscow denies the allegations.
