Russia’s top diplomat: West’s ‘hybrid war’ won’t stop Moscow

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV
Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s top diplomat says his country will achieve its objectives in Ukraine despite a “hybrid war” waged by the West against Moscow. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday that the goals of Moscow’s “special military operation” in Ukraine are “determined by Russia’s core legitimate interests” and will be fulfilled. Speaking at a marathon annual news conference, Lavrov dismissed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s demands for a complete Russian withdrawal from Ukraine. The minister also dismissed Ukraine’s insistence on payments for war damages and the prosecution of war criminals as a platform for future talks, saying “there can be no talks with Zelenskyy.” Lavrov alleged “the West makes all the decisions for Ukraine.”