The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Sergei Lavrov

  • Russia rejects European peacekeepers for Ukraine

    Russia rejects European peacekeepers for Ukraine

    Russian foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov yesterday rejected both proposals to freeze the front line in Ukraine in its current position and stationing European peacekeeping troops in the region.

    Earlier this week, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters that Russian President Vladimir Putin would accept European troops in Ukraine to keep the peace.

    Lavrov said Russia opposed the idea put forth that there is a line dividing both sides, with one part Russian and the other Ukrainian.

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    “That will not happen,” he said, during a trip to Doha, the capital of the Gulf state of Qatar.

    Lavrov said the Russian constitution defines the country’s territory, Lavrov said and according to that, the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson belong to Russia, even if Russian troops do not fully control them.

    In the rest of Ukraine, “racist laws” would have to be repealed, he said, referring to the alleged discrimination against Russian speakers, which include the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky.

  • Russia denies tampering with Syrian chemical attack site

    Russia has denied interfering with evidence at the site of a suspected Syrian government chemical weapons attack which led to Saturday’s military intervention by Western states.

    In an interview with BBC’s Hardtalk, Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov said: “I can guarantee that Russia has not tampered with the site.”

    He spoke as the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) held an urgent meeting.

    International inspectors are trying to reach the site in Douma, near Damascus.

    The United Kingdom ambassador to the OPWC, Peter Wilson, quoted the agency’s director-general, Ahmet Üzümcü, as saying they were still waiting.

    The Swedish delegation cited a briefing from Mr. Üzümcü that said Syria and Russia were concerned that security on the ground could not be guaranteed.

     

  • Syrian chemical attack was staged – Russia

    Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, has said a reported chemical attack in Syria was staged by foreign agents.

    A spokesman for Russia’s defence ministry accused the United Kingdom of being involved in staging the attack.

    The United States and France said they have proof it took place and, alongside the UK, are considering military retaliation, the BBC reports.

    Russia, which has military forces deployed in Syria in support of the government, has warned that Western air strikes risk starting a war.

    During a press briefing on Friday, Mr. Lavrov said he had “irrefutable evidence” that the attack was staged as part of a “Russophobic campaign” led by one country, which he did not name.

    A spokesman for Russia’s defence ministry, Gen. Igor Konashenkov, said: “We have evidence that proves Britain was directly involved in organising this provocation.”

    The UK’s envoy to the United Nations has called this a “grotesque, blatant lie.”

    The White House said it is continuing to assess intelligence and talk to its allies about how to respond to the matter.

     

     

  • Syria conflict: No evidence of chemical attack – Russia

    Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, has said no evidence has been found of a chemical weapons attack in Syria ‘s formerly rebel-held town of Douma.

    Medical sources said dozens were killed in Saturday’s alleged attack but numbers are impossible to verify.

    Mr. Lavrov said Russian specialists and aid workers had visited the area, which rebel fighters have started leaving under a surrender deal.

    The BBC reports that United States and France have threatened a “joint, strong response.”

    The claim from Russia – which has intervened militarily in Syria in support of the government – came after videos shot by rescue workers on Saturday showed lifeless bodies of men, women and children with foam at their mouths.

    The Syrian-American Medical Society said more than 500 people were brought to medical centres in Douma, in the Eastern Ghouta region, near the capital Damascus, with symptoms “indicative of exposure to a chemical agent,” including breathing difficulties, bluish skin, mouth foaming, corneal burns and “the emission of chlorine-like odour.”

    Mr. Lavrov spoke hours after a deadly attack on a Syrian military airbase, which Moscow and the Syrian government blamed on Israel.

  • Russia expels 60 U.S diplomats in retaliatory move

    Russia has expelled 60 United States diplomats and closed the country’s St Petersburg consulate in a tit-for-tat response to U.S action over a spy poisoning case in the United Kingdom.

    The moves were announced by the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov.

    The BBC reports that the decision comes amid a row over the nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy and his daughter in southern England.

    Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious on a bench in the city of Salisbury on March 4.

    More than 20 countries have expelled Russian envoys, in solidarity with the UK, which blamed Moscow for the attack.

    Russia has vehemently denied any involvement in the incident.

    Mr. Skripal remains in a critical but stable condition.

    His daughter’s condition is said to be improving.

    Mr. Lavrov said the U.S ambassador had been informed of “retaliatory measures.”

    He said they included “the expulsion of the equivalent number of diplomats and our decision to withdraw permission for the functioning of the U.S consulate general in Saint Petersburg.”

     

     

     

     

  • U.S election: Russia’s Lavrov dismisses FBI charges

    U.S election: Russia’s Lavrov dismisses FBI charges

    Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, has dismissed as “blather” the charges levelled by the FBI special counsel against 13 Russians for election meddling.

    Lavrov said at a major security conference in Germany he would not comment further until he saw “facts.”

    The charges brought by Special Counsel, Robert Mueller, are seen as a major development in his continuing probe into the United States 2016 election, the BBC reports.

    President Donald Trump has said the indictment showed that his campaign did “nothing wrong.”

    The Russian foreign minister was being questioned by participants at the Munich Security Conference.

    Asked about the charges, he said even Vice-President Mike Pence had called the investigation into question.

    “So until we see the facts, everything else is just blather.”

    But Mr. Trump’s National Security Adviser, H. R. McMaster, said evidence of Russian meddling was “now incontrovertible.”

    “It would become harder to conceal attempts to “interfere in our democratic process,” he added.

  • U.S ‘will press’ Russia to ditch Assad

    United States Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, is holding talks in Russia with Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, as America urges Moscow to stop supporting Syria.

    The visit comes amid tensions over last week’s suspected chemical attack in Syria and U.S strikes on a Syrian base, the BBC reports.

    Russia has condemned the American strikes and stands by Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, its long-time ally.

    President Donald Trump has said the U.S has no further plans there and is “not going into” that country’s civil war.

    On Tuesday his defence secretary made clear the priority remained the defeat of the Islamic State jihadist group.

    “Our military policy in Syria has not changed,” Jim Mattis said.

    Last week’s air strike has led to confusion over U.S policy in Syria, with some officials suggesting a more aggressive stance against President Assad.

    Mr. Tillerson is meeting Mr. Lavrov after warning that Russia risks becoming irrelevant in the Middle East because of its support for Mr. Assad.

    He also insisted Syria’s president can play no part in the country’s future.

  • Euro 2016: Russia summons French ambassador after violence

    The French ambassador to Moscow has been summoned to the Russian foreign ministry after sharp criticism of policing at the Euro 2016 tournament.

    “Further stoking of anti-Russian sentiments could significantly aggravate the atmosphere in Russian-French relations,” the ministry said.

    Russia’s foreign minister singled out the detention of 43 fans on a bus, the BBC reports.

    France’s embassy insisted that the arrest of Russia fans was “absolutely according to the law.”

    Meanwhile, four Russians arrested in the French city of Lille are to be deported, but a match there between Russia and Slovakia on Wednesday passed off peacefully.

    France’s crackdown on hooliganism among supporters relates to incidents outside the stadiums.

    UEFA, football’s European governing body, earlier fined Russia and gave it a suspended disqualification following fan violence inside the stadium in Marseille where Russia played England on Saturday.

    The Russian foreign ministry summoned Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert soon after a speech by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to the lower house of the Russian parliament in Moscow.

    Mr. Lavrov suggested Russian fans had been provoked and criticised the way French police officers were subjecting them to security checks.

     

  • Ukraine: Troops, pro-Russia rebels battle to control Donetsk airport

    Ukraine: Troops, pro-Russia rebels battle to control Donetsk airport

    Ukrainian troops have launched air attacks to regain control of Donetsk airport from pro-Russia rebels.

    A fierce gun battle ensued, and smoke can be seen rising from the area.

    The fighting comes as the man tipped to become Ukraine’s new President, Petro Poroshenko, said he wanted to talk to Russia to end the crisis.

    Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow was “open to dialogue” with Mr Poroshenko but military action against separatists must end.

    Mr Poroshenko said he hoped to meet Russian leaders early next month, after a trip to Poland where he will meet the US president and EU leaders.

    However, he warned he would take a tough line on armed militiamen.

    Petro Poroshenko: “Without Russia it would be much less effective or almost impossible to speak about the security in the whole region”

    He said: “Their goal is to turn Donbass [east Ukraine] into Somalia. I will not let anyone do this to our state and I hope that Russia will support my approach.”

    Meanwhile election observers said Sunday’s vote was a genuine one that largely met international standards.

    The mission from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) also said it gave the new president “legitimacy” to open a dialogue with separatists in the east.

    Welcoming the election as “a major step”, the EU said it was looking forward “to further concrete steps on this constructive path, including the use of leverage on armed groups to de-escalate the situation on the ground”.

    Mr Poroshenko, 48, currently has about 54% of the vote, with 75% of the ballots counted, and would not need a run-off. Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is a distant second on 13%.

    Pro-Russia rebels stormed Sergei Prokofiev Donetsk airport on Monday after it became clear that Mr Poroshenko was heading for outright victory in Ukraine’s presidential election.

    Fighter jets circled over the airport as attack helicopters fired rockets at the building. There are no confirmed reports of casualties.

    Ukraine’s interim government is engaged in an offensive in the east to quash the uprising that has left scores dead.

     

  • Russia: Kiev breaking pact

    Russia: Kiev breaking pact

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused the Kiev authorities of breaking last week’s Geneva accord on resolving the Ukraine crisis.

    He said the Kiev government – not recognised by Moscow – had not moved to disarm illegal groups, especially the ultra-nationalist Right Sector.

    He said it was “absolutely unacceptable” that the Ukrainian authorities had failed to end what he called the illegal protests in the capital.

    He said: “All signs show that Kiev can’t, and maybe doesn’t want to, control the extremists who continue to call the shots”

    However, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya said he was “surprised” Mr Lavrov did “not know what is being done in Ukraine regarding the Geneva agreements”, Kiev-based news agency Unian reported.

    The government had been having regular consultations with the parties to the agreement in an attempt to find “ways of de-escalating the situation in the east of Ukraine”, Mr Deshchytsya was reported to have said.

    Early on Sunday at least three people were killed in a shooting at a checkpoint manned by pro-Russian separatists near Sloviansk.

    The circumstances remain unclear. The local separatists said the attack was carried out by Right Sector militants. Kiev called it a “provocation” staged by Russian special forces.

    Pro-Russian militants are still holding official buildings in at least nine towns and cities in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.

    The interim authorities in Kiev said they had suspended operations against pro-Russian militants over Easter, and appealed for national unity.

    The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has deployed around 100 monitors across 10 cities in Ukraine to explain the details of the Geneva accord to each side.

    Spokesman Michael Bociurkiw said they were having a “mixed experience dealing with checkpoints and so forth and there is a varying reaction to teams”.

    He said they were facing a “hardened attitude” in places such as Donetsk and Slaviansk, but other, smaller, areas are “more accommodating”.

    Meanwhile, U.S. has warned the next few days will be pivotal and has threatened more sanctions against Russia if it fails to abide by the Geneva accord.

    US Vice-President Joe Biden arrived in Kiev yesterday for two days of meetings with the country’s leaders, in a show of support for the Ukrainian government.

    Mr Biden will announce technical support to the Kiev government, including economic and energy-related assistance.