Lavrov asks UN for self-determination for Donbas and Crimea

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called on the UN to recognize the right to self-determination of the inhabitants of Crimea and the so-called "Novorossiya," which consists of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic. In an interview with Turkish media, he cited the precedent of Greenland, where, according to him, the UN supports self-determination without external intervention, reports the Unian agency.

Lavrov criticized that the original draft of the Russian-American peace plan from November also included the protection of minority rights, but Ukraine and Europe omitted this point. He also rejected a ceasefire during the peace talks, which he described as unacceptable to Russia.

He also expressed skepticism about the planned agreement on security guarantees between the US and Ukraine, which Moscow, according to him, does not recognize.

He considers the "honorable" guarantees from the 2022 Istanbul draft agreement to be more realistic, which, among other things, ruled out the presence of foreign military bases in Ukraine.

(mja)