Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Moscow views the war against Ukraine as a «mission to suppress Nazism». He claimed that the «metastases of Nazism» are allegedly spreading across Europe and resurging in Ukraine «in concentrated form», whilst continuing to link any prospect of peace to the Kremlin’s political demands.
Briefly about the main points
- Lavrov described Russia’s war against Ukraine as «the suppression of Nazism».
- He spread the Kremlin’s rhetoric about «Nazism» throughout Europe.
- Germany has rejected the notion that it is at war with Russia.
- Moscow insists that a ceasefire will not address the «root causes».
- Following the US’s contacts with Moscow and Kyiv, no breakthrough was announced.
The Kremlin continues to promote the notion of «denazification»
Speaking on 5 September during a meeting Vladimir Putin with representatives of «United Russia», Sergey Lavrov He said that most Russians with whom he had spoken apparently regarded the war as yet another mission to «crush Nazism». He also referred to the Soviet generations who had defeated Nazism and claimed that it was now allegedly on the rise again.
This claim forms part of the Kremlin’s justification for the full-scale invasion of 2022. The US Holocaust Memorial Museum describes Moscow’s claim regarding the need for the «denazification» of democratic Ukraine as false and as distorting the history of the Holocaust.
Lavrov accused Berlin of moving towards confrontation
The following day, the Russian Foreign Minister linked the Chancellor’s plans Friedrich Merz to strengthen the Bundeswehr as part of Germany’s alleged move towards confrontation with Russia. He also stated that «the metastases of Nazism are beginning to take hold» in the country.
Commenting on Berlin’s reaction to drone incident At Leipzig Airport, Lavrov described it as «the start of a real war». Germany blamed Russia for the hybrid attack and announced diplomatic countermeasures.
At the same time, the German government has explicitly stated that the country is not at war with Russia. Berlin justifies the strengthening of its defences on the grounds of its own security, deterrence and the fulfilment of its NATO obligations.
Russia’s demands come against the backdrop of US contacts
On Eastern Economic Forum Lavrov stated that, in Moscow’s view, a freeze on the war along the current front line would not address the so-called «root causes of the conflict». The Russian position also entails taking into account the territories it has seized.
This runs counter to the European Union’s approach, which insists on peace based on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and on the inadmissibility of changing borders by force.
Meanwhile Steve Witkoff і Jared Kushner held negotiations with Putin in the Kremlin, after which they travelled to Kyiv. No public announcement was made regarding a breakthrough following this round of talks.
