Russia-Ukraine war: Lavrov says conflict will not end until West drops plans to defeat Moscow

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview that the armed confrontation in Ukraine will continue until the West gives up plans to dominate and defeat Moscow.

The interview with an Indonesian newspaper was published on Wednesday (July 12). Lavrov said that the goal of the "US-led collective West" is to strengthen its global hegemony.

Russia has often warned the West against supplying precision and long-range weapons to Ukraine during the ongoing war, which started last year in February.

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The Russian minister told the Kompas newspaper that Kyiv is ignoring Indonesia's peace plan and instead promoting its own "package of ultimatums".

According to a transcript of the interview published on Russia's foreign ministry website, Lavrov asked, "Why doesn't the armed confrontation in Ukraine come to an end?"

"The answer is very simple – it will continue until the West gives up its plans to preserve its domination and overcome its obsessive desire to inflict on Russia a strategic defeat at the hands of its Kyiv puppets," said Lavrov, who is due to attend the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum in Jakarta this week.

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Russian air strikes on Kyiv amind NATO gathering

The Ukrainian military said on Wednesday that Russia launched a wave of kamikaze drone attacks on Kyiv and nearby regions for the second night in a row.

The strikes were carried out just hours before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was due to meet NATO leaders at a summit that has backed Ukraine's independence.

As per reports, air alarms were issued over Kyiv and across Ukraine for more than two hours, and combat continued.

Ukrainian military said that there were no immediate reports of casualties or major destruction and all the drones were intercepted before hitting their targets.

Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv's military administration, said on the Telegram messaging app: "The 504th day of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine. The enemy launched another air attack on the capital."

Lavrov on Myanmar situation

While speaking on the current Myanmar situation and internal strife since a military coup in 2021, Lavrov urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to resolve issues with "close cooperation" with the junta. He added that Myanmar's domestic affairs must not be interfered with.

ASEAN foreign ministers meeting on Tuesday was expected to address the growing violence in Myanmar. The regional bloc has barred the junta from its summits for failing to implement an agreed peace plan.

(With inputs from agencies)

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