Russia Aims to Remove 'Unacceptable' Regime in Ukraine: Lavrov
The Trends Journal has called for immediate negotiations to end the conflict
Russia’s top diplomat said Sunday that the Kremlin’s ultimate goal in Ukraine is to oust the “unacceptable” regime in Kyiv that he called “absolutely anti-people and anti-historical.”
Sergey Lavrov, who was at an Arab League summit in Cairo, said, “We are determined to help the people of eastern Ukraine to liberate themselves from the burden of this absolutely unacceptable regime.”
Subscribe to the Trends Journal magazine to receive the world’s leading trend forecasts delivered weekly to your inbox for $2 a week.
Lavrov’s comments seem to be consistent with Russia’s new talk of expanding its goals in the country. We pointed out that Moldova is concerned that it is vulnerable to a Russian invasion.
Lavrov also accused the West of working to spread propaganda to make sure that Ukraine “becomes the eternal enemy of Russia.”
TRENDPOST: If Lavrov wants to overthrow the Ukrainian regime, he should ask Victoria Nuland, the undersecretary of state for political affairs, how she managed to overthrow the democratically elected regime in Kyiv back in 2014.
In early February 2014, a recording was leaked of Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs, Victoria Nuland, telling Geoffrey Pyatt, the US Ambassador to Ukraine, that the UN was on board to "help glue" the plan to replace Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych with Arxeniy Yatsenyuk. "Yats is the guy," Nuland informed Pyatt who urged her to move quickly because "the Russians will be working behind the scenes to torpedo" the deal.
"F#&* the EU!" Nuland told Payatt. "Exactly," he responded.
Shortly thereafter, Yanukovych was overthrown and "Yats" became president. Ukraine agreed to Nuland's demands to make "a new deal with the IMF," which was "necessary for the long term economic health of the country." Yet, the new Western-leaning Kiev government did not represent the Russian-speaking Ukrainians in the east and south who had voted Yanukovych into office.
One year later, Ukraine is racked by civil war and is in depression. The US and EU blame Russia for the destabilization because of its support of Ukrainian separatists. And as punishment, the US pushed the EU to impose trade sanctions against Russia. Russia retaliated with trade sanctions against Europe.
Russia’s New Goals
At the start of the Ukraine invasion, Russia tried to play down any claim that it was seeking regime change in Kyiv and insisted that its effort was to “denazify” and “demilitarize” the country.
Lavrov said Russia was willing to negotiate in March, but Ukraine — after influenced by the West — refused. He said the “West insists that Ukraine must not start negotiations until Russia is defeated on the battlefield.”
Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin told parliament, “Largely speaking, we haven’t even yet started anything in earnest."
The Russian president blasted the Western support for Ukraine and said these countries are content with fighting Russia until “the last Ukrainian.” He said the U.S. cannot envision a unipolar world and wants to “enforce its version of the global order.”
“We are hearing that they want to defeat us on the battlefield. Let them try,” he said.
TRENDPOST: The issues between Russia and Ukraine are not black and white. As Pope Francis said, this war cannot be reduced to “good guys and bad guys.”
Saturday’s “Peace and Freedom Rally,” launched by Occupy Peace in historic Kingston, NY, featured some of the top names in America, but was blacklisted by the mainstream and social media. (WATCH)
Featured speakers included Judge Andrew Napolitano, the former chief legal analyst for Fox News; Phil Giraldi, the former CIA operative; Gary Null, the host at Progressive Radio Network; Scott Ritter, an ex-weapons inspector for the UN; and Gerald Celente, publisher of The Trends Journal, founder of Occupy Peace, and Deacon of the Universal Church of Freedom, Peace and Justice.
Despite sending thousands of press releases over the past three weeks to international, national, and local media, there was no coverage of the heavily attended Rally.