07:59Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed the West's decision on Kiev using long-range weapons to hit deep inside Russia had been taken 'long ago' - with current talks aimed solely at making the move more palatable to the public - as he took part in the ambassadors’ round-table discussions on Ukraine conflict resolution in Moscow on Thursday.
"We have no doubt that the decision to lift restrictions on the use of long-range weapons to strike Russian territory was taken a long ago. They are now attempting to make it look nicer, more presentable and elegant for the public," he said.
He also claimed that apart from weaponry, NATO allies were supplying Ukraine with military and space intelligence used to hit 'strictly civilian objects'.
"These targets are residential buildings, critical public infrastructure, energy and industry infrastructure, and even community facilities such as kindergartens and hospitals. Western military specialists are co-ordinating, literally manually, the strikes of high-precision weapons against the targets I have just mentioned," he added.
Ukraine has strongly denied targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure in the ongoing conflict.
US State Secretary Antony Blinken has been repeatedly asked about any decision on long-range strikes - including supplying weaponry and lifting restrictions which Ukraine has been calling for - on trips to Kiev and Warsaw this week.
While not confirming any change of policy, he and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy have referred to a meeting between US President Joe Biden and UK PM Sir Keir Starmer on Friday. The American president said on Tuesday that Washington was 'working that out now' when asked about any change.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
West's decision on long-range weapons for Kiev taken 'long ago' - Lavrov claims UK, US discussions only PR spin
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed the West's decision on Kiev using long-range weapons to hit deep inside Russia had been taken 'long ago' - with current talks aimed solely at making the move more palatable to the public - as he took part in the ambassadors’ round-table discussions on Ukraine conflict resolution in Moscow on Thursday.
"We have no doubt that the decision to lift restrictions on the use of long-range weapons to strike Russian territory was taken a long ago. They are now attempting to make it look nicer, more presentable and elegant for the public," he said.
He also claimed that apart from weaponry, NATO allies were supplying Ukraine with military and space intelligence used to hit 'strictly civilian objects'.
"These targets are residential buildings, critical public infrastructure, energy and industry infrastructure, and even community facilities such as kindergartens and hospitals. Western military specialists are co-ordinating, literally manually, the strikes of high-precision weapons against the targets I have just mentioned," he added.
Ukraine has strongly denied targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure in the ongoing conflict.
US State Secretary Antony Blinken has been repeatedly asked about any decision on long-range strikes - including supplying weaponry and lifting restrictions which Ukraine has been calling for - on trips to Kiev and Warsaw this week.
While not confirming any change of policy, he and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy have referred to a meeting between US President Joe Biden and UK PM Sir Keir Starmer on Friday. The American president said on Tuesday that Washington was 'working that out now' when asked about any change.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed the West's decision on Kiev using long-range weapons to hit deep inside Russia had been taken 'long ago' - with current talks aimed solely at making the move more palatable to the public - as he took part in the ambassadors’ round-table discussions on Ukraine conflict resolution in Moscow on Thursday.
"We have no doubt that the decision to lift restrictions on the use of long-range weapons to strike Russian territory was taken a long ago. They are now attempting to make it look nicer, more presentable and elegant for the public," he said.
He also claimed that apart from weaponry, NATO allies were supplying Ukraine with military and space intelligence used to hit 'strictly civilian objects'.
"These targets are residential buildings, critical public infrastructure, energy and industry infrastructure, and even community facilities such as kindergartens and hospitals. Western military specialists are co-ordinating, literally manually, the strikes of high-precision weapons against the targets I have just mentioned," he added.
Ukraine has strongly denied targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure in the ongoing conflict.
US State Secretary Antony Blinken has been repeatedly asked about any decision on long-range strikes - including supplying weaponry and lifting restrictions which Ukraine has been calling for - on trips to Kiev and Warsaw this week.
While not confirming any change of policy, he and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy have referred to a meeting between US President Joe Biden and UK PM Sir Keir Starmer on Friday. The American president said on Tuesday that Washington was 'working that out now' when asked about any change.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.