Russia “never sought to seize Ukrainian territory”, FM says

He made the statement in an interview with Russia-24.

According to Lavrov, Russia never intended to “simply seize certain territories.”

“Neither Crimea, nor Donbas, nor Novorossiya (the name used in the Russian Empire for southern Ukrainian lands – ed.) were ever our goal. Our aim was to protect people, Russian people, who have lived on these lands for centuries,” he said.

Lavrov added that these people supposedly “discovered these lands, shed blood for them in Crimea and Donbas, and built cities such as Odesa and Mykolaiv, along with many ports, plants, and factories.”

• Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council and former President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev commented on the meetings between U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and European leaders.