Russian armed forces in Ukraine are no longer focused on «solely» on the neighbouring country’s eastern territories, because supplies of western arms have changed Moscow’s calculations, as reported by Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov.
«Geography has changed,» Lavrov said in an interview on Wednesday, 20 July, adding that Russian forces will focus their efforts on not only Donetsk and Luhansk, but also the newly-captured Kherson and Zaporozhia regions and other territories.
The Russian minister also said Kremlin’s goals remain the «de-nazification and de-militarisation of Ukraine». However, since the Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbutl, «geography» has changed.
He said the supplies of western arms to Ukraine have forced Moscow to re-calibrate their plans.
If western countries continue supplying arms to Ukraine, Russia’s «geographical objectives» may go farther than the current line, Lavrov warned.
«We cannot allow any weapons in the part of Ukraine controlled by Zelenskyy or whoever will replace him that pose a direct threat to our territory or the territory of the republics that declared independence,» said Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs.
After the end of the so-called first phase – the failed attempt to capture Ukraine’s north-east parts and Kyiv – Moscow announced at the end of March that its main objective is «liberating» Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
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