For Past 500 Years, Europe Crucible of 'All World Tragedies': Lavrov

By Al Mayadeen English

Taking a swing at Zelensky, the Russian foreign minister described him as a "pure Nazi" and a "traitor".

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a "pure Nazi" and a "traitor to the Jewish people," detailing how he rose to power in six months on slogans of peace and respect of the Russian language to a "pure Nazi" who is treacherous to the Jewish people. 

In an interview for the Russian Defense Ministry outlet Krasnaya Zvezda, Lavrov explained the 180-degree change in Zelensky, rising to power under the pretext of seeking peace and respecting the Russian language.

The top Russian diplomat also commended US President Donald Trump's "common sense" goal of ending the war in Ukraine and accused European nations that have rallied alongside Kiev of attempting to prolong the conflict.

Lavrov stated Sunday that the United States wished to be the world's most powerful country and that Washington and Moscow would never agree on everything, yet they agreed to be pragmatic when their interests coincided.

The foreign minister also told the Russian military weekly Krasnaya Zvezda that Trump was a "pragmatist" whose slogan "is common sense" and a "shift to a different way of doing things."

Trump, who spoke with Putin on February 12 and expressed his desire to be known as a "peacemaker", has changed US policy toward the Ukraine war, something evident in the heated shouting match with Zelensky on Friday, after which the Ukrainian President was booted from the White House. 

Trump invited the Ukrainian President to Washington, where the two were supposed to have lunch and hold a joint press conference. However, Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance, on one side, and Zelensky, on the other, hurled sharp accusations at each other in front of reporters in the Oval Office. Then reporters were told to leave the space. 

Lavrov criticized Europe, arguing that for the past 500 years, it had been the epicenter of "all the tragedies of the world" —including colonization, wars, the Crusades, the Crimean War, Napoleon Bonaparte, World War One, and Adolf Hitler.

"And now, after (former U.S. President Joe) Biden's term, people have come in who want to be guided by common sense. They say directly that they want to end all wars, they want peace," Lavrov stated. "And who demands a 'continuation of the banquet' in the form of a war? Europe."

Lavrov also rebuffed "arrogant" European discussions about peacekeepers for Ukraine, saying Russia had lost faith in Ukraine following the breakdown of the Minsk agreements, which were intended to halt a separatist struggle by Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine.

According to Lavrov, Europeans were unable to clarify what rights Russian speakers would have under European peacekeeping plans, and Russia did not appreciate the thought of Europeans supporting Zelensky.

"Now they also want to prop him up with their bayonets in the form of peacekeeping units. This will mean that the root causes will not disappear," the foreign minister noted.