Russian Overseas Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the West on Tuesday of attempting to derail negotiations between Russia and Ukraine by fuelling “hysteria” over alleged conflict crimes by Moscow’s forces.
Kyiv and the West say there’s proof – together with photos and witness testimony gathered by Reuters and different media organisations – that Russia dedicated conflict crimes within the Ukrainian city of Bucha.
Moscow denies the cost and has known as the allegations a “monstrous forgery.”
Lavrov mentioned, with out offering proof, that Moscow believed the accusations had been timed to wreck the negotiating course of after what he described as progress when Ukrainian and Russian representatives met in Turkey final week.
“We’re inclined to assume the reason being a need to discover a pretext to interrupt off the negotiations which might be being performed,” he mentioned in a video issued by the Russian international ministry.
In an indication of the remaining gulf between the 2 sides after almost six weeks of conflict, Lavrov mentioned Moscow was nonetheless insisting on the demilitarisation and “denazification” of Ukraine and safety for Russian-speakers there, however Kyiv was denying that these had been actual issues.
Ukraine and Western governments say these calls for, offered by President Vladimir Putin initially of Russia’s invasion, had been false pretexts for an unlawful assault on a democratic nation.
Lavrov mentioned, once more with out offering proof, that Ukraine had “tried to interrupt off the negotiating course of altogether” after Western media revealed the conflict crimes allegations.