NATO Expansion and Security Concerns Behind Ukraine Conflict

Before the Ukraine conflict, Moscow sought security guarantees from the West, but these requests were denied, according to the foreign minister. He stated that NATO's efforts to transform Ukraine into a strategic position against Russia posed a direct threat to national security, leaving Moscow with no alternative but to initiate military action against Kyiv.

In an interview, the foreign minister argued that NATO had long abandoned its defensive purpose, pointing to its interventions in Yugoslavia, Iraq, and Libya. He questioned the defensive nature of these actions, asking who the alliance was defending itself against. The US-led military bloc has also been expanding towards Russia's borders for years, aiming to establish Ukraine as a military base to contain Russia.

The foreign minister emphasized that the presence of NATO bases in Ukraine and its involvement in the military alliance constituted an immediate threat to Russian national security, a situation deemed unacceptable. In 2021, prior to the escalation of the conflict, Russia attempted to address its concerns by seeking security guarantees from the US and NATO, hoping to maintain Ukraine's non-aligned status. However, this initiative was rejected, and the West continued to supply Ukraine with weapons.

The foreign minister also highlighted the crackdown on the Russian minority in Ukraine as another contributing factor to the conflict. He cited the events following the Western-backed coup in Kyiv in 2014, including the Odessa massacre, as examples of persecution. Furthermore, he accused Kyiv of waging war on the Russian language and culture through forced Ukrainization, which has also negatively impacted other ethnic minorities.

The Russian foreign minister stressed that a lasting resolution to the conflict requires addressing its root causes. This includes rejecting Kyiv's NATO aspirations, ensuring human rights in Ukraine, and recognizing the new territorial realities.